Bittersweet Days
by CandiiGal
Summary: Enter, a one-shot collection and a theme for every chapter with the main theme of bittersweet, specially dedicated to the adorable pairing, Rimahiko. Now, take a read and let me take you to the Bittersweet Days of Rima and Nagihiko...-Goal of 100 Themes-
1. Goodnight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara; may the sugar-coated chocolate lightning strike me if I ever do.**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**Ratings: T  
**

**A/N: Welcome to the one-shot collection of Bittersweet Days specially dedicated to the adorable pairing, RimaHiko. Today's theme would be... Goodnight based on the song 'Say Goodnight' by The Click Five. I highly recommend listening to it first before reading this. I hope you guys would enjoy it so sit back and relax, let your eyes take you to the Bittersweet Days of Rima and Nagihiko.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**  
_(sweet memories, bitter regrets.)_

Goodnight

He narrows his eyes onto the paper in his hands as he reads its contents thoroughly. He frowns. It is a letter for a school transfer. He looks up at his mother, dumbfounded, his ochre eyes seem to be staring into its twin, searching for the answer. His mouth parts to respond to the letter in his hands.

"It's time, Nagihiko-san." she cuts him off, interrupting him in her steely tone and he closes his mouth, lowering his head, his eyes getting dimmer by the second. Of course, he knows what she means and her words are absolutely final, there is no point in arguing now since that the decision has already been made. "You're ready,"

He nods at her obediently as he speaks in a soft, low tone, "Yes, mother."

_But he doesn't want to leave. No, not just yet..._

---

And so he stays up late that night, writing a letter for _her_ in teary ink. He feels nostalgic at this as his mind recalls that very day when he had done this before but this time round, he reminds himself that he's doing it for another person— A special girl who has capture his heart.

As he writes, pouring out his feelings and emotions into that very letter, he lets a lone tear imprints itself onto the letter in hopes she would understand his reasons for leaving and that he didn't had a choice.

He needs some time to think about how to break the news to the rest and especially to _her. _The thoughts of him leaving, disturbs him more than ever, causing him to get distracted in school, unable to pay attention in class and his mind only wanders around one girl and that girl only; but whenever he thinks about how she would react to his departure, the unavoidable haziness would cloud his mind once more .

The air in Seiyo has been real tight recently and he decides that he needs some time to breathe under the pressure of facing her everyday at school, the pressure of hearing her chuckles and giggles at school and the pressure of her smiles. He cannot bear to see all that fade away.

_But he doesn't want to leave; for he only yearns to breathe the same air as her..._

---

He forces himself to look up at his blonde friend with a smile that is tainted in bitter and sorrow as he passes him a letter, the one he had written that night.

Tadase raises his brows, his ruby eyes holds confusion and a hint of suspicion.

"Pass this letter to Rima-chan, tell her that I'm sorry for leaving..." he takes a deep breath, trying to suppress the overwhelming sadness within him, holding his smile though he knows that he has no right to be saying this, "And that I'll always love her."

He fights back the tears which are welling up in his eyes, smiling his sad smile at the messy-haired blond in front of him.

The blonde pats him gently on his shoulder, his magenta eyes now holds sadness and sympathy as he smiles an assuring smile, "I will, Fujisaki-kun, I will..." he promises as the two boys trades pats and hugs.

_But he doesn't want to leave. No, not like this..._

---

That very day, he decides to pluck up his courage to walk her home. She declines rudely at first but he merely chuckle it off, tailing beside her closely. At times, their hands would brush against each other, causing them to blush a light pink at the contact of their skin. But the very next time their hand brushes against one another, he decides to take a step further.

He holds her smaller hand tightly in his, never wanting to let go.

He watches with amusement as she flushes at his action but did not make any movement to pull away from him. He smiles a doleful smile to himself, his amber eyes studying the girl beside him.

Her golden, caramel locks of wavy hair flows down to her waist like a torrent of waterfall as her face— creamy and fair, making it seem like it is carved from marble. Her honey, caramel eyes, sweet as heaven, never fails to make him lose himself in the golden pools in them.

He feels his heart shattering with every second he spends with her as they walk in a pitch of silence. No, it isn't an awkward or a deafening one. It is a peaceful one.

He make sure that he'll cherish this moment with her forever till he dies, enjoying her presence next to him; the warmth and footsteps coming sounding beside him, it all somehow manages to fill the hole deep inside of him.

Her hand in his, softer than a summer night causes him to tighten his grasp a little. He wants to engulf his hand in her touch a little longer, letting its silkiness and delicateness sink into him as he carves this memory down into his heart.

_But he doesn't want to leave; he wants to hold her hand like this, forever and always..._

---

She stops in front of her house, pausing slightly, waiting for him to release her hand from his clutches but he never did.

She looks up at him, ready to fire off at him as she realizes that the edges of his sunset eyes glistens with tears, wearing a melancholy smile.

He leans forward ever so slightly, grazing his lips over hers as she lets out a small gasp in surprise, blushing deep crimson.

He pulls himself away, still smiling his sorrowful smile, tears threatening to fall, "Goodnight, _Rima_." He let go of her small hand, watching it fall back to her side, knowing very well he would never have to chance to hold it again.

And there she stood; rooted to the ground, unable to comprehend what had just happened, still red in the face. Her fingers instinctively reaches to her lips as she stares a blank, puzzled look back up at him, regaining her poise as she turns away from him stubbornly.

"Go-Goodbye, Nagihiko." she stutters as he chuckles lightly at her reaction but his expression soon darkens.

"Don't say goodbye, Rima, just say goodnight." he winks despite the tears which are clouding up in his ochre eyes, standing still and strong.

"Fi-fine, goodnight, Nagihiko." she rolls her eyes indifferently despite blushing furiously.

He swoops in, planting a small kiss on her forehead as she tilts her head up at him strangely as he smiles his silly grin at her.

Giving him one last look, she makes her way into the gates of her house as he watches her silently till her shadow disappears into the big empty house before letting the tears which he has been holding back, fall.

He backs away slowly, no longer holding that smile of his as he lets the corner of his lips drops into a sad frown, making his way home as he lets his tears fall onto the sidewalk.

_But he doesn't want to leave; if he really needs to, he wants to bring her with him._

_'Goodnight, Rima.'_

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**A/N: Constructive Criticism highly welcomed here; spot any mistakes? Leave me a review or a PM and I'll try to fix it immediately. There you go, a short, sad one-shot based on the song 'Say Goodnight' by The Click Five. Truthfully, it started out as a songfic but writing it half-way through I decided that I'm no good with songfics so I tore it down and compressed it into this. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Alright, the next theme shall be... Smile. Please stay tune for it.**

TheGift13 was here.


	2. Smile

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara; well, maybe I do in my dreams.**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**Ratings: T**

**Genre: Romance/Angst.**

**A/N: I sincerely thank those who reviewed on the first chapter, thank you very much. Thank god, my exams are finally over, it's time to party! But it's my job to solemnly announce that today's theme is ****Smile**** and it's a very short story written in Rima's perspective; I hope you guys will enjoy it. Let me take you to the Bittersweet Days of Rima and Nagihiko.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regrets.)_

Smile

She stands outside on the balcony of her house, inhaling deeply (She hopes to get the hint of cherry blossoms tree which stands along the walkway of her house), bracing herself against the cold railing, the chill biting into her bare palms as the icy midnight breeze wraps itself around her like a veil. She shivers into the night, looking up at the moon which hangs luminously in the star-less sky.

She does this quite often, even more since his... departure. She does this because she believes that it is the only way she can relief the pain— the pain of her aching heart.

It must be daytime in Europe.

She smiles as her mind drifts to the possibilities of what _he_ might be doing.

Is he paying attention in class? Is he enjoying himself, dancing his heart away? Is he... hanging out with the foreign girls there? _Is he thinking about her like what she's doing now?_

Her warm, amber eyes falters for a moment before they began to dim, tears clouding up her vision as the corners of her lips droop into a trembling frown. She bites hard on her lips, trying to stop its tremor, holding back her tears.

_She misses him... She misses him terribly..._

She sniffles, sucking in a deep breath as she forces herself to look up at the moon. She will not cry, she will not allow herself to drop a single tear. She will not.

Why...? Why... did he have to go...? Why must he go at the very time she is so sure that she's in love with him?

She feels a single drop of tear hits the metal railing and here comes another... and another... and soon she finds herself drowning in her endless tears of bittersweet memories of them together. She chokes back her tears as she covers her mouth, muffling her sobs. She chides herself angrily for letting the tears fall as she knows that he does not want her to cry for him.

She reaches into the pocket of her skirt, clutching the delicate, light piece of paper in her hands. It is the letter he wrote for her and her eyes only. She has memorized it, word for word and could recite it by heart as it was the only thing he'd left for her. She brings it close to her chest, hugging it tightly as she breathes in deeply his unique scent of cherry blossom which lingers on the paper he had written on.

_She misses his scent... his gentle touch that never fails to sooth her._

She squeezes her eyes shut, tears leaking out of the edges of her eyes but all she sees is him. He's standing there, under a nearby cherry blossom tree in the middle of an empty grass field with his arms outstretched invitingly, a warm smile spreading across his winsome face, his long, velvet violet hair dances with the light breeze as his gorgeous ochre eyes sparkles under the sunlight.

"Come on now, Rima-chan," she hears him chuckle faintly as she reaches out to touch his fingers, a grin spreading across her face and he holds her tightly in his arms.

She sees a pink cherry blossom petal sink to the ground, only to realize that there is no tree, no empty grass field, no sun and no Nagihiko with his long dark strands of hair hovering about in the air….

There is only her and her aching heart; but somewhere, buried in the deepest depths of her heart, she hears him saying in a playful, cheerful tone.

_'Smile, Rima-chan, even when I'm gone. Smile...'_

She sinks to her knees, sobbing her eyes out. She understands now, she understands his smiles which she always took for granted, she understands the pain behind them... she regrets. Yes, she regrets but she forces herself to smile at the moon despite the tears streaming down her cheeks. She will smile, she tells herself. She will smile but only for him... even when he's gone.

_She misses him terribly, but the thing she misses the most are his smiles..._

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**A/N: Constructive Criticism is welcomed with open arms; spot any mistakes? Leave me a review or PM and I'll fix it as soon as possible. This theme was especially hard to write, I actually started in Nagi's perspective but it just wouldn't go with the flow so I switched it to Rima's perspective and I'm quite glad of its outcome. The next theme shall be Warmth****. I'll let your mind roam on that theme which I'd set for myself and hope that you guys would stay tune for it. ~Candies4Life  
**

TheGift13 was here. And very much hated editing the present tense.


	3. Warmth

**Disclaimers: I do not own Shugo Chara; maybe I do when Sugarcandy Mountain actually exist.**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**Ratings: K+**

**Genre: Romance**

**A/N: Thanks for all the review, I'd really appreciate them, Thanks a whole lot. Right, here today's theme about ****Warmth**** and no, it's not an angst story like the past, previous chapter. -Gasps- Yeah, I know, weird huh? First of all, writing an angst story is quite tiresome for me and I keep tearing up (Yes, I'm quite emotional.) at the sad part. I guess a fluffy story isn't that bad once in a while so yeah, please sit back and enjoy. Let your eyes feast upon the Bittersweet Days of Nagihiko and Rima.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regrets)_

Warmth

"We're lost, right?"

An irritated voice sounded beside him as he wished he could just chuckle it off as per usual and deny what the petite blonde had said. But looking down in the state they were at, he had to concede defeat.

He shot her a nervous smile, fiddling with the map in his hands as she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. How in the world did he get himself into this state, you might ask. Well, it all started out when his energetic friend and junior, Yaya, suggested going on a camping trip and somehow, he and his self-proclaimed rival, Rima, ended up going off course, separating them from the others.

There was another sigh before the soft, quiet voice which asked that dreaded question once more, "We _are_ lost, right?"

Yet, he refused to give in as he let out a wary sigh, "The sun is setting and soon it's going to be dark, I think it's best if we find a shelter."

"Yup, we _are_ lost, thanks so much, Einstein." she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as he felt the need to roll his eyes at her remark.

He flipped open his phone for the millionth time, checking for a signal but to no avail. He bit his lips as he brought his brows together, thinking deep and hard as the blonde watched him with interest and amusement.

He got it!

He dropped his back-pack down onto the dirt and gravel as he rummaged through his bag, chewing on his bottom lip as drips of perspiration, formed by the heat of the canopy, trickled down his chin.

"What are you looking for?" she asked, truly curious about the boy's actions. He tilted her head towards her, flashing an assuring smile.

"A pocket pen-knife, I'm very sure I've got it somewhere." She gave a snort as he quirked a brow at her, his face lighting up as he held up a small miniature pen-knife in triumph.

"And what are you going to do with it?" He smirked at her as he reached for the nearest tree, carving their names on it. She stifled a smile, suppressing the urge to giggle. "Shall we carve a heart in between our names now?"

He flashed a smile which looked dangerously close to his trademark devious grin. She let out a gasp, shooting a murderous glare at him as he raised his hand which was holding onto the pocket-knife, leveling it onto the surface of the rough bark of the tree.

Out of a sudden, his mind registered the sharp, jabbing pain in his shin as he hopped one foot, holding his injured foot in his hand.

"Gee, I'm just joking, Rima-chan," he groaned as he caught her smirking at his pain. The corner of his eye caught sight of a small cave, hidden beneath the thick vegetation. He broke in a relieved grin, his pain long forgotten as he carved the word 'cave' and an arrow in the direction of the cave beneath their names on the bark of the tree.

She arched her brow at him as he held her lightly by her wrist, pulling her through the green vegetation of the forest and into the direction of the cave.

---

The duo dropped their bags onto the cold hard rocky floor as they leaned back against the walls of the cave, heaving a sigh of relief as they sat in silent in the cold, dark cave, their warm breaths resonating through the walls. He tilted his head at her, casting her a small smile in which she returned it with her own unique smile of hers, feeling exhilarated by the run.

He felt the blood gushing up to his cheeks as he coughed awkwardly, getting up abruptly.

"Where're you going?" she asked, he could tell from the shakiness of her quiet voice that she was rather nervous.

"I'm just going to get the materials to create a fire, you don't want to freeze in the night, do you?" he winked at her, causing her to blush as she turned away from him indifferently, muttering a soft 'fine'.

The boy soon quickly assembled the necessary items, which he'd found nearby that could create a warm fire. She watched with interest as he piled the firewood he'd found above the dried leaves and with quick flick of the hand, he lit them up with a match, lighting up the dark cave with an orange, luminous glow.

She stared at awe at the orange flame, her eyes danced with the fire as her lips twirled up into a small smile, putting her icy cold hands in front of the flame as she sighed in contentment.

"Marshmallows?" he offered, settling himself beside her. She looked over to the boy with long midnight hair, realizing he was smiling at her as she blushed ever so slightly, reaching into the plastic packet of marshmallows meekly.

She heard a soft, musical chuckle coming from him as she herself broke into fits of small giggles and so they laughed and talked the night away, letting their so called 'rivalry' slip past their tired minds.

In time, they found that they were left with an empty packet of marshmallows and the warmth of the fire which engulfed them, giving them comfort. She looked up at him, raising both brows as she blinked at him. He casted a devious grin as he clasped his hands over her smaller ones, catching her by surprise.

"You're still cold," he remarked, letting go of her hand as he took off his pale blue jacket which he had been wearing, hanging it over her shoulders as she flushed deep crimson.

"How about you, dummy?" she retorted, cheeks still red as his smile grew wider if that was even possible, holding her by her hand once more as he gave it a tight squeeze, deepening her blush.

"Me? I'll have your hand and the fire. Don't let me go or I'll freeze." He joked lightly, chuckling softly, leaning back onto the walls of the cave as he closed his eyes, waiting for the sleep to slip in.

She smiled at him, knowing very well that he could not see it. She closed her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips, holding his hand tightly in hers as the duo drifted into a deep slumber.

And that day, she found a new kind of warmth in her heart; a warmth that would never die out. But she knew, deep down, though she never wanted to admit it— _it was a flame which was unconsciously lit up by him. _

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**A/N: Constructive Criticism is welcomed with open arms; spot any mistake? Leave me a review or a PM and I'll fix it as soon as possible. Right, I decided to stop with the present tense for awhile and give my beta a break. (Yes, I know it's tough on you. I'm sorry xP). Well, the next theme would be ****Love****, I hope you would stay tune for it. **

TheGift13 was here and THANK YOU FOR PAST TENSE!


	4. Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara; the evil chocolate bunny rabbits will take me away if I ever do.**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**Ratings: K+**

**A/N: Thank you so much for those who reviewed, I'm really grateful. The theme for today is Love and once again it's not a tear-jerker, it's just ordinary fluff. Not all angst stories are bittersweet, sometimes fluff can also be bittersweet in some kind of way, depending on how you twist it around. I've got to say that writing all this one-shots is quite enjoyable. Now, let me take you to one of the Bittersweet Days of Rima and Nagihiko, enjoy...  
**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regrets.)_

Love

She leans her back against the bark of a cherry blossom tree at the back of the school, stretching out her legs as she holds a delicate stalk of daisy between her fingers. She twirls around with it, thinking deeply. It's finally recess time and she's at her favorite spot in school where she is sure that no one would find her. She narrows her eyes onto the flower and sighs.

She feels so confuse and yet, all she can think of is him... She has no idea when it had started, it might have happened during the summer break or much earlier but what she does know that, _it's_ there.

She looks down onto the stalk of flower once more, frowning slightly. This is so childish of her, she had never once thought of doing this before. She sighs once more as she tugs on the petal of the flower.

_He loves me..._

She smiles lightly at the thought of his gentle smiles which he directs only at her as she flashes back to the first time she'd met him, chuckling softly at the (not-so) fond memories. He just had to put her down so bluntly when she only tried to use her fake tears on Amu. But frankly, it disturbed her greatly then, that's for sure. She just could not believe that someone like him could see through her crocodile tears.

It just couldn't be possible that her greatest weapon was through by someone of the likes of _him_ and that her only defense was torn down so easily. That day when she got home, she just could not find a good explanation to why he could see through it so... so... effortlessly. Not only could he see through her fake tears but he could also see through her act, it made her feel so vulnerable.

No, 'vulnerable' was only just a cover-up of what he truly made her feel... The truth was, he made her feel afraid.

Yes, she _was_ afraid that he could see through the facade she painstakingly wore everyday to school and the pain and bitter which she locked up deep down in heart, throwing away the key. But being afraid was only part of what she truly felt... after all that, he made her feel less alone to a certain degree and made her feel that she belonged.

But nonetheless, she's secretly glad that he'd entered her life.

_He loves me not..._

She recalls the times they fought and argued, the glares they shared together and how he usually tease her about her height which she would always counter-back by bringing up the subject of Nadeshiko while she watched from a corner at how he would fret at the multiple questions being shot at him by her pink friend and a certain hyper-active brunette.

She chuckles darkly.

Maybe, he didn't like her after all... the way she always treated him...

She pulls lightly on another petal of the daisy, watching it sink to the ground.

_He loves me..._

The times he would always protect her, from X-Eggs or not, she will never forget. Every time she asks him why he would want to protect someone like her, his answer has always been the same— a flash of his grin and a chuckle with amusement which usually comes along with it. But for some reason, she'd always find him by her side, always teasing, always saying something smart and intelligent, never failing to make her feel slightly left out but nonetheless she knows deep down, he cares and that is enough.

But sometimes she finds herself wishing that he would do something more.

_He loves me not..._

But would he still like her despite the way she'd always treated him? She doubts it. The way he looks at Amu with that spark in his eyes and how he'd always manage to hold a light, easy conversation with her comfortably, it occurs to her that they had never once had a conversation without any cynical remarks or retorts.

He speaks, she glares, he sweat-drops and smiles a nervous smile. It always had been like this.

Maybe it's because she's afraid of that piercing ochre eyes of his, staring deep into her soul, cutting through all of her tight defenses and mental shields that she'd always act tough and superior in front of him.

_He loves me..._

She stares down at the daisy, realizing there aren't any petals left. She frowns, her eyes looking duller than ever as she lowers them down onto the flower, muttering softly to herself,

_'He loves me not...'_

She feels the tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill as she stifles the urge to sniffle. She bites her trembling lips, dropping the petal-less flower as she searches the grass around her frantically.

A hand reaches out to her with a red, crimson rose tightly fixed in between its fingers. She trails the arm, finding herself staring into a pair of amber eyes as she parts her mouth ever so slightly, her watery honey eyes staring at the winsome face in front of her.

"He _loves_ you... very much and will never stop loving you till the day he dies." He grins at her, his dark strands of hair dancing in the light breeze as he settles himself down beside her, pulling her into a tight embrace as he whispers softly into her ear affectionately, "I didn't know you believe in such stupid things like this, Rima-chan."

"Shut up, dummy." she mumbles into his chest as he lets out a soft chuckle, hugging her back tightly, fighting the urge to smile. She pulls away from the embrace, leaving their face inches apart. She looks up at him and blinks at him with slight confusion, "Why...?"

"What do you mean why?" he tilts his head to a side, arching a violet brow.

"Why do you still love me after how I always treated you?" He seems to be amused by her question, chuckling softly, his ochre eyes twinkles under the soft sunlight which streams down through the pink petals of the cherry blossom tree.

"Don't you know that love knows no bounds?" He cradles her cheek gently with his slender fingers as he flashes a gentle smile.

She finds herself smiling outwardly, a shade of magenta painting itself evenly across her cheeks as he grins back at her. At least she knows now,

_He loves her._

* * *

**A/N: Be sure that constructive criticisms are openly welcomed and that if you spot any mistake, send me a PM or leave a review, I'll try to fix it as soon as I get my hands on a computer. There you go, a nice warm fluffy one-shot. The theme for the next chapter is ****Rain****. Have a small guess whether it's going to be fluff or angst. Argh, I'm kinda' running out of themes for the chapters, so if you guys have any nice suggestions for the themes, feel free to leave a review or PM. **

** I hope that you'd enjoyed this chapter, please stay tune for the next. ~Candies4Life.**


	5. Rain

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara; do you see my name written on it?**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**Ratings: K+**

**A/N: Thanks so much for reviewing/fav/alerting this story, it really means a lot to me. Now, today's theme is Rain, is it a fluff or angst? Take a read and you'll know the answer xD. Please sit back and relax, let me take you to the Bittersweet Days of Rima and Nagihiko.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regrets)_

Rain

It was another typical day at Middle School, except that it was raining.

Rima watched silently as the rain, which first started out as a light drizzle, fell onto the sidewalks. She stood in silence, beneath the dry shelter of her school, listening to the rhythmic patterns of the rain, pattering against the walkway, watching the rain fall like sheets of glasses onto the ground as she glanced at her watch for the hundredth time before deciding that the it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. She had accidentally left her umbrella back in class but figured that the classrooms were probably be locked around this time. After all, school had ended three hours ago but she had to stay back to attend another Guardian meeting.

She took a deep breath, clenching her eyes shut as her ears picked up on the soft patters of the rain, concentrating hard. She wrinkled her nose. To be frank, she hated the rain. Sometimes, she felt that rain was such a troublesome weather, it'll fall unexpectedly and it would drench one to the skin in a heavy downpour.

One of the many things she disliked about it was the smell that came with it. To her, it smelt like the mixture of dirt and chlorophyll which didn't fail to sicken her. Never liked the rain and never will.

She gave a small shiver, the chilliness of the rain was sinking into her as she wrapped her arms around her petite body, trying to engulf herself in her warmth. She looked towards the sides as her eyes fell onto her watch once more.

The ticking of her watch resonated through the walls of her mind as she let out a tired sigh, if she didn't returned home by the designated time her parents set for her, they would never allow her to walk home alone again and it would be goodbye to good'ole freedom.

She gritted her teeth, looking towards her sides again, her bag clutched tightly in her arms.

It wouldn't hurt if she returned home drenched, right? As long as she was on time, it would alright.

She gulped, getting ready to make a dash for it.

She took a few steps forward, bracing herself for the icy, chilly rain to patter onto her skin but it never came. She looked up, realizing that an umbrella was held above her, shielding her from the incoming rain. She trailed the arm which was holding onto the plastic handle of the umbrella and found herself staring into a pair of mesmerizing hazel eyes with a tinge of orange in them.

"What do you want?" she asked icily, matching the coldness of the falling rain, glaring at the boy with flowing long, velvet hair who stood towering above her.

"You need an umbrella don't you?" he asked, flashing his usual smile as Rima suppressed a blush which was finding its way to her cheeks.

"No I don't." she stated bluntly, scowling, turning away from his ochre gaze.

"You'll get wet," he urged, his smile unmoved.

"I don't care," she replied curtly with furrowed brows, still not meeting his stare.

"You'll catch a cold,"

"I don't mind,"

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes,"

"Then why are you still under this umbrella?"

Her eye gave a small twitch as her lips curled into a small un-dainty frown, folding her arms as she allowed a blush to surface onto her cheeks.

"Fine," she agreed reluctantly as the boy gave an amused small smile, walking her out of the gates of the school.

She scanned her surroundings, hoping that no one was nearby to catch scene of them sharing an umbrella. This was way too embarrasing, if anyone catch them like this, rumors were going to spread like wild fire the next day.

"Which way?" he asked in his gentle, mellow voice.

"Right," He gave a small nod, walking beside her, together in the rain in silence.

It was not an awkward silence nor was it deafening or unbearable, it was just peaceful and for some apparent reason, she enjoyed the warmth that he emanated, it reminded her that she wasn't walking alone in the empty street like she usually would. It made her feel... happy.

She wondered idly what cologne he used to produce such sweet scent but quickly shook the thought off. She just couldn't comprehend why her heart was pounding louder than usual and that her stomach had a fuzzy feeling brewing deep down, it all felt so alien to her. As much as she wanted to admit it, she was afraid of all the things she felt being with him alone.

She felt a delicate hand held her by her wrist, pulling her into a somewhat toned chest, wrapping itself around her small waist as she widened her eyes, opening her mouth, ready to scream bloody murder at the boy for his rash actions.

"What are-" she was cut off as a car whizzed by at top speed as she realized his true intentions— he'd saved her from being Rima goo. She gulped, stunned, letting what had happen sink in.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a gentle, soothing tone which somehow managed to break the ice of her heart. She merely gave a nod still, speechless.

Realizing the position that they were in, she quickly shoved him away and dusted the invisible dust off herself, sighing at the close shave. Despite of the weather, she found herself sweating cold sweat.

"Thank you," she responded in a soft, meek tone, hoping he would not catch her two words but much to her dismay he shot her his favorite heart-warming smile, blinding her with his pearly white teeth.

"You're welcome."

She felt a blush surfacing up to her pale, porcelein face, turning away from his gaze as they resumed their pace, going back home.

Once again they found themselves walking in a pitch of silence, an awkward, embarrassing one to be more precise. The pumping of her heart was deafening and was drowning out the sound of patters around. It was so loud that she wondered if he could hear her heart thudding loudly against her chest or feel the warm oozy feeling she had in the pits of her stomach. She suddenly felt warm and stuffy, hard to breathe, like something was sucking the air away, the coldness of the rain long forgotten.

Rima watched as the rain fell beside her, listening to the enhanced patter on the umbrella. She found herself unable to think as every time she would find herself losing track of her train of thoughts, distracted by the loud pattering of the rain and the loud thudding of her heart.

"Do you like the rain?" he asked, breaking the silence with his light and easy tone.

"Huh?" she asked, her cheeks tinted slight pink.

"Do you like the rain?" he repeated, smiling lightly as he looked ahead in front of them before meeting her stare. What a stupid question but typical for him.

"No," she replied flatly. He raised an amused brow and chuckled.

"Why?"

"It's cold, icky and always bring my spirits down, not to mention, it makes transport more troublesome than usual." He chuckled once more and she couldn't help but wonder if he was mocking her.

"I like the rain, partially for the cold weather but mostly because it drowns away my worries," he grinned, flashing her his teeth, his ochre-like eyes sparkled. "And most of all, I could have this opportunity to be alone with you." She felt the poundings of her heart grew louder as heat rushed to her cheeks.

He came to a sudden halt, tilting the umbrella to aside.

Rima felt her lips drooped into a frown.

"This... is your house, right?" he asked, directing a glance at her.

She nodded; the loud thuds of her heart had died out quickly as she lowered her head slightly.

"Thank you," she mumbled softly, unable to meet his eyes.

She stole a peek at him after awhile, realizing that his face was inches away from her. He leaned forward, planting his lips onto hers lightly before breaking off after awhile.

"You're welcome," he whispered into her ear, his warm, dense breath brushing against the edge of her ear, making her shiver ever so slightly.

He flashed her a grin, cheeks tinted slight pink as he walked her to her front door before waving a small goodbye, turning his back on her and take his leave.

She watched from the sheltered doorstep, speechless, watching his shadow disappear into the corner nearby before she turned towards the empty house of hers with a sigh as she smiled a smile which she hadn't had for ages.

_Maybe the rain wasn't so bad after all._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: Keep the Constructive Criticism rolling and if you spot any major spelling/grammatical mistakes, PM me or leave a review and I'll try to fix it as soon as I have a computer within my radius. Alright, another fluff... hope you guys liked it and if you guys have any nice suggestion for the themes, feel free to leave a review or PM. **

**The next theme for the next chapter shall be... ****Blood**** and I'm just going to say it out bluntly, it's angst. So prepare yourself a tissue box or a handkerchief, it's going to be somewhat of a tear-jerker. Hmm, for some information about this story, it will be updated every two to three days so please stay tune for the next. ~Candies4Life**


	6. Blood

**Disclaimers: I do not own Shugo Chara but I do own their chocolate figurines.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews; I'd really appreciate it. Well today's theme is ****Blood**** and it's a reflective, angst story based on Rima's perspective. Yeah, and all I have to say is character death alert so beware. This was kind of inspired by the 'accidental' gore I watched when I entered the room to find my father watching a really gory show and literally scream my head off. And yes, I couldn't sleep that night and was thinking the whole night about this chapter. Anyways, please seat back and relax. Let me take you to one of the Bittersweet Days of Nagihiko and Rima.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regrets)_

Blood

_Blood..._

What was the thing about it that made it so fascinating and special? Truthfully, no one really knew the answer to that. Blood, from all the petite blonde knew, was the crimson, thick liquid that flowed out of every cut, every wound. It would always be there, no matter what, with that metallic smell and taste.

But why was blood so special...?

That was a question she always asked herself. Was blood really that special and unique? Maybe it's only deemed special as every living thing had it flowing through their veins and maybe because of that, it was a symbol of life and death, a symbol of recognition to identify one another.

With blood flowing through your veins, you're still alive. Without blood flowing through your veins, you're most certainly dead. It had always been like that. There was no certain creature in the world that could possibly live without blood, thus making it so unique and fascinating.

But to hell with all these facts, It bored her out to wit's ends, that was no lie.

Blood, she had already long decided, was a boring, typical topic.

But then again, her view on blood had changed drastically when _he_ bled for her.

Up till this day, she had never once forgave herself for it, with that stone-cold memory which she had countless of times wished she could forget, carved in her mind and heart.

She would never forget the way he smiled, how his long, violet hair used to played around in the breeze and most of all, she would never, ever forget his deep, mellow voice which always called her name with such affection and gentleness.

She would never forget...

But every time she recalled that very day, the day when that _incident_ occurred, she would find herself trembling continuously, wrapping her arms around her shoulders as her eyes welled up with tears, threatening to fall, taking up her favorite and usual position of a 'ball'.

She could never forget, it was her fault after all.

"Can't you go away? Far, far away, away from Japan for all I care." she remembered retorting hotly, as she hasten her pace away from him.

It was practically the last straw for her.

He had been bugging her the whole day and had even decided to follow her home after school that day and she had enough. There would be doubt that rumors were going to start spreading about in school the next day about them and she certainly did not want to be a part of it.

She could hear his footsteps behind her, getting faster as she felt his warm, slender fingers wrapping itself around her wrist, sending warm tingles down her spine, forcing her to resolve into a halt in the middle of an empty street as she looked over her shoulders, glaring at him, blushing ever so slightly.

"You... really want me to leave you alone?" he asked, his face held no signs of its usual tease and amusement, instead it was rather solemn and serious than usual. His ochre eyes had tint of hurt and pain, making her feel slightly guilty of what she'd said.

She felt her shoulders relax a little, letting out a soft sigh, but began to tense again as she shook his grasp off her wrist.

"Yes, I've been waiting for five freaking years for your existence to cease from my life, you're just so irritating, you know that? It's as if you're a stalker." she exclaimed as she watched him wince at her biting words, biting his lips as the corner of his lips dropped into a frown. "Why? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

He lowered his eyes on her, his ochre gaze piercing through her golden one as he sighed outwardly, his expression remained serious and somber.

"Why are you so blind? Do you even need me to spell it out for you?" he asked, his light hazel eyes narrowing on her as he inhaled and exhaled deeply, his expression softening by an inch. "It's because I've always-"

There was a loud honk and the blearing of headlights as the boy with long, violet hair turned towards the incoming car with widened eyes.

There was a pitch of bright light, a hard push on her shoulders, the screeching of the brakes then a loud, deafening crash which rung in her ears, up till this very day.

She picked herself up from the ground, looking rather dazed, cringing in pain at her grazed knees and elbows but her pain was soon forgotten when her nose picked up the strong stagnant stench of blood hanging in the air as she shifted her attention to the crash in front of her.

She widened her eyes, her honey, amber eyes shimmered with tears as she crawled to his side. She bit her trembling lips, feeling her stomach churned at the sight before her. There was blood... so much blood, it was everywhere. His face... his beautiful, winsome face was splattered with blood and his legs were in a distorted position.

He coughed, blood spluttering out of his mouth, his once bright, amber eyes were dull and lifeless as he stared into her honeyed eyes. He lifted a shaky bloodied hand, placing it on her left cheek as he cradled it gently, staining her cheek with his blood.

"R... Rima...-chan," he managed to choke, as she reached for his hand, holding it tightly hers. Tears were trickling down her eyes like a waterfall, unable to stop.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Nagihiko. Please don't die." she sobbed, muttering softly as he mustered his last ounce of strength to thumb away her tears, forcing a painful, weak smile.

"I... I... love... you..." He let out another blood-sputtering cough as he let out a heart-wrenching gasp, clenching his teeth together, his eyes widening in pain as he closed them once and for all, never opening them ever again..

His hand grew limp and weak as it dropped to his side of his lifeless body.

"No... don't die, I don't want you to leave me. I take it all back..." She clutched his blood-stained school uniform with her fingers, as she sobbed into his chest. "Please, Nagihiko, don't leave me." she cried, choking on her tears as she shook his shoulders roughly, hoping that he would open his hazel eyes, claiming everything to be a joke and tease her for falling for it.

She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing that everything was just a dream, a horrible, terrible nightmare as tears leaked out from the corners of her eyes. She held him close to her, inhaling deeply. Despite the strong scent of metallic blood hanging in the air; she managed catch the faint fragrance of fresh cherry blossom.

_'I love you too...'_

_---  
_

_Blood..._

She'd always thought she would never understand why most stomachs churned at the sight of it but now... she knew the answer.

Blood, is the essence of life; it once belonged to a living creature on earth. When you catch the sight of it, you'll feel the pain and sadness that comes with it when a cut or wound is carved onto your skin. Blood is the price that everyone have to pay when a deep wound is caused and after the wound is healed, all that's left of it would be a scar to remind us of the pain we'd once felt.

It's only scary until you see the person you love, bleed for you. It would be then, the pain would be the greatest. It would be then, when the wound would be the deepest and even Time, itself would not be able to erase the scar from your memory.

Till then, it'll always be the known as the thick red liquid the runs out of your wounds and cuts.

Till then, you'll never learn to cherish it.

Till then, you'll never learn the true definition of the word, _'Blood'._

_The essence of life and death._

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**A/N: Note that Constructive Criticisms is accepted here and that if you spot any noticeable/eye-searing mistakes, PM me or leave me a review, I'll change it as fast as I can. The next theme shall be... ****Protect, ****fluff or angst, we shall see for the next chapter.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, please stay tune for the next. ~Candies4Life**


	7. Protect

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Thank you so much for those who reviewed, alerted and favorited this story. Thank you, thank you so much. You'd probably made entire day. Anyway, today's theme is ****Protect****. I was suddenly inspired when I was re-watching that episode when Nagi first protected Rima and viola, my inspiration became a story. I hope you would enjoy it, please sit back and relax. Let me take you to the Bittersweet Days of Rima and Nagihiko.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Protect

He stood rooted to the ground, unable to move as he glanced down at his legs which were surrounded with an ominous-colored energy which emanated darkness and sadness. No matter how much he forced them to move, they remained stuck to the ground like super glue. He brought his teeth together as he bit his bottom lip hard, moving his arms, swaying them side to side, testing them.

Tch, only his upper-body was freed from the X-egg's curse.

He looked up from his ordeal, knitting his violet brows, drips of perspiration forming on his forehead as he studied the situation thoroughly.

A large X-egg with everyone stuck to the ground, with their lower body frozen and the only person who was free of the curse was the one and only Hinamori Amu, who was flying about in the air with her skates, finding any signs of weakness in the ginormous X-egg's line of defence. Just, great.

He scanned his surrounding, realizing how everyone was struggling to get their lower body free, including _her_. He pursed his lips, closing his eyes, bringing his thoughts together.

"With only my upper-body, what can I do?" he muttered softly to himself, calming himself down as he opened his eyes, realizing that the gigantic X-egg was glowing an abnormal dark shade of black.

_Crap, it's charging up again..._

Nagihiko widened his ochre eyes, biting down on his lip so hard that it bled slightly. Double crap, it was aiming for _her_. They'd seen the x-egg release its dark energy beam before and the result was destructive, it had practically destroyed everything in its path in mere seconds.

He forced himself to move, shifting his legs with all his might but it felt like a million kilograms were chained to his ankles. He had to protect her. He had to.

"Move, damn it!" he cursed as he let out a loud groan, somehow managing to move his legs by an inch as he looked back up at the x-egg which was charging up and glowing so bright it looked as if it was going to explode. "Amu-chan!" he shouted out at the pinkette who casted him a quick glance, nodding at him as she brought out her heart rod in a defensive stance.

"Rhythm!" he cried softly, moving his legs which trembled slightly.

"Let's do this, Nagi." he smiled to himself, glad to hear his chara's voice as he pushed himself forward, feeling his strength and confidence coming back to him again due to the encouragement of his chara.

He started moving slowly as if his legs were stuck in jello, with every step he took, he felt his strength and energy decrease at a fast rate, but he forced himself to move on towards her direction.

He _had_ to protect her.

"Amu-chan, get ready!" he cried out as he slouched forward, his hands on his knees as he panted heavily. Warm, sticky droplets of sweat were trickling down his chin, his tired ochre eyes looking up at the petite blonde who stood meters away from him, looking as tired and frantic as him.

He closed his eyes, quivering slightly. As he held his eyes open, breathing in deeply, he found himself in the park, shielding a stunned blonde, who stood rooted to the ground behind him from a dark energy wave.

But there was something wrong with this scene. How could he be there when he was here? He watched silently nearby, slightly dumbstruck at how he held off the dark wave of energy.

He winced slightly, recalling the biting, burning searing through his skin and shuddered, letting a sigh escape his lips.

It looked like fatigue had gotten to him; he was even hallucinating now.

He smiled to himself as he decided to enjoy this while he still could. He watched, smiling lightly, chuckling softly. That was the first time he remembered protecting her.

Yes, he would never forget the many times he'd protected her but it amused him that something so small and trivial could actually end up so big that it became uncontrollable. It merely started as a small want to protect her, to let her know that he had her back no matter how she treated him, but as time went by, his reasons for protecting her grew and changed.

After that incident, he had always acted on an impulse to protect her, not caring for his own safety even when he had the deepest, darkest secret, even when he was powerless and weak. He still tried his best to protect her.

He laughed, mocking himself with self-pity.

In the end, he still failed to protect her. Here he was, stuck in his hallucinations while in real time he wasn't even doing anything. He felt so useless, even when his charas hatched. He was still the powerless Nagihiko without the charas, without the guardians.

He couldn't do anything.

He had obviously failed as a guardian.

He lowered his head to a side, biting his lips as he squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his fist tightly as he dug his nails into his palm, rage building deep inside of him

"Nagihiko?" asked a faint quiet, melodic voice of an angel which he could recognize anywhere. He opened his amber eyes, finding himself under the cherry blossom tree which was his known favorite spot at school with a big, bulky book, flipped over, resting on his lap. Sunlight was streaming through the reflective pink leaves of the cherry blossom tree and there she was, standing before him.

Was everything just a dream?

"Wh-where am I?" he breathed, the familiar fresh scent of cherry blossom, now mixed with a slight fragrance of raspberries, filled his lungs, making him more exhilarated than ever.

"You're under a tree?" she replied rather bluntly, as per usual, as she rolled her golden eyes, settling herself down beside him gingerly as he continued to watch her.

"What happened to the battle? The X-egg? Did we win?" he asked as she tilted her head to a side, looking at him strangely as his lips parted slightly before biting his cheek, letting everything before him sink in.

"What are you talking about, Nagihiko? If you're talking about the battle against Easter, it's long over. Are you sick or something?" she asked, raising a delicate hand and resting it on his forehead.

He gasped softly as their skin made contact, sending warm fuzzies down his spine; his mouth parted slightly, blood rushing to his cheeks as he turned away from her golden gaze, smiling lightly to himself.

"So it was just a dream after all.." he chuckled to himself softly, relieved as he looked up at the blonde, her golden locks of hair cascading down her back like a golden waterfall. Her cheeks had a tint of red due to the heat and her honey eyes seemed to sparkle under the soft sunlight.

He found himself leaning in subconsciously, resting his head against her shoulder blade as she let out a small, surprise yelp but did not make any movement push him away. He inhaled deeply her intoxicating scent of raspberries as he sighed softly, "Thank goodness..."

"Are you okay, Nagihiko?" he felt a pair of hands patting his back, trying to soothe him as he soaked himself in her warmth, taking in big gulps of her scent, he glanced up at her golden, caramel orbs which were filled with concern.

He found himself smiling at her, closing his eyes, losing himself in the warmth she emanated, the soft sound of her light breathing and his favorite scent of raspberries.

How could he forget that simple reason that kept him going no matter what?

_He loved her and that was all he needed._

He opened his eyes, looking more determined than ever at the sight of the gigantic X-egg which was charging up, aiming for her, his exhaustion long forgotten.

"Rhythm, Temari!"

"Go for it, Nagihiko!" cheered his two charas in unison as he brought his legs forward with all his might, picking up a slow, yet moving pace, ignoring the weight on his ankles and moving forward.

He _had_ to reach her.

He _would_ protect her, even with his life.

The x-egg released a devastating beam at Rima as everyone's eyes widened in fear and shock. The pinkette raced towards the wave of dark energy but it was already too late.

He gritted his teeth, as he ran towards her, the weights on his feet were suddenly lifted to a certain degree as he reached out his hand, his ochre eyes training on the girl who was fidgeting inconsistently, trying to move her lower-body to no avail.

He clenched his fist, furrowing his brows, still running in her direction. She was too far away.

He felt his boots charging up as he leapt to where the blonde was standing, wrapping her in his arms, shielding her from the powerful, dark energy which was aimed right at her.

He tightened his arms around her, feeling the searing sensation burning through his back as he engulfed himself in her raspberry scent, mixed with a tinge of salty sweat.

"N-Nagi..." He heard her utter softly, he could feel her wet tears falling onto his shirt as she trembled in his embrace.

He could feel the dark, powerful waves tearing through his skin as a painful groan escaped his lips. However, he still stood strong as he constantly reminded himself that it would be over soon, that the pain would go away and that she was in his arms, safe and sound.

He let out another painful yelp, it was getting to him. The pain...

There was a blinding ominous flash and the beam subsided, his body growing limp and weak as dark smoke rose from his back. He gulped, leaning his weak body against the smaller frame of the blonde in front of him, forcing a feeble smile, growing oblivious to her shakes and melodic voice which was growing fainter and fainter with every second ticking by.

It was finally over, he had protected her and she was away from harm's way.

He let his body sink to the ground, letting the exhaustion and fatigue consume him as he closed his eyes, gratefully welcoming the darkness.

_He had protected her and that was enough..._

* * *

**A/N: Constructive Criticism is welcomed with open arms; spot any mistake? Leave me a review or a PM and I'll change it as soon as I can. There you go, a fluff with slight angst. It consumed more time than usual but I liked how it turned out. I'm just going to end it here and let your mind wonder whether Nagi had survived the blow or not, it's all up to your imagination...  
**

**The next theme shall be ****Music****.**

**It's going to be a fun theme for me and I hope you guys would tune it for the next. ~Candies4Life**

TheGift13 was here. And _this_ time I remembered the stamp =D


	8. Music

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: I send my thanks and gratitude for those who'd reviewed and favorited. Thank you so much. Hmm, today's theme is Music and all I can say is, it was fun writing this. Now, sit back and relax, take a read and lose yourself in one of the Bittersweet Days of Rima and Nagihiko.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Music

Mashiro Rima had always thought that music was nothing more than vibrations passing through the air and held nothing more other than that. Music, she had always thought, was a boring subject and she just could not comprehend why it was so popular among her peers. Music, to her, was a useless subject and was placed into the school curriculum by some mistake.

Simply putting it, she did not want anything to do with music.

That was what she thought at first.

Ever since her best friend, Amu, became an acquaintance of fellow singer and songwriter, Hoshina Utau, music began to enter her life gradually without her noticing herself. Though as much as she hated to admit it, she had grown slightly accustomed to the music revolving around her life but she never really bothered to do any research about it, nonetheless.

She was just too caught up in other more useful things than to be bothered to find out who the best selling artist was and who's not, etcetera.

But it was when she first heard him play that she truly opened the door to the musical world.

A world which she sometimes found herself lost in whenever she was bored.

But time to time she would indulge herself in that memory which made her so engrossed in the musical world in the first place, letting it replay in her mind countless of times.

She sometimes spend her boring afternoons, lying on her bed in her bedroom, closing her eyes as she let the memory flowed back to her, smiling slightly at the fond memory.

She remembers walking along a corridor in school. It was a typical day; the sunlight was filtered in through the windows of the school and she had just finished an errand for a teacher, walking down the endless hallways. It was about that time when she heard the soothing sound— a soft, flowing music which she had never heard before.

She was so captivated by it that she found herself stopping in her tracks, just to listen it play a little longer. It ended shortly.

She frowned.

Then it started again, this time with slight melancholy lingering on every note.

She found herself getting lured in by the enigmatic music, trailing it along the hallways as the music grew louder with every step she took. She closed her eyes, perking up her ears as she followed the music, finding herself resolving into a halt in front of the school's music room.

She peeked her head in meekly and was shocked to find a boy with long, flowing, velvet midnight hair sitting by the white grand piano in the music room with his fingers flowing down the keys of the piano.

She stared, wide-eye at the boy before her who remained oblivious to her presence. She watched him by the doorway, mouth hanging slight agar, studying him thoroughly. She had no idea he knew how to play the piano. Oh, everyone knew he danced but playing the piano? That was a surprise.

His ochre eyes glittered under the soft sunlight which streamed in through the windows, shining onto the piano as it gave him a warm glow. A small, enigmatic smile hung on his lips as he watched his fingers glided down the keys, producing sweet, warm music.

She took a step into the music room, her footsteps seemed to bounce off the walls of the music room..

The music stopped almost instantly as he jerked his head towards her with surprise, cheeks tinted light pink, staring at her with widened eyes with a spark she could not decipher.

"Rima-chan?" He watched her as she walked towards him, running a soft, delicate finger down the solid, white wood of the piano. She tilted her head at him.

"I... didn't know you played." she remarked, looking up at him as his expression seemed to change every second. He chuckled at her nervously, bringing a finger through his violet hair.

"I used to, but not anymore." He pressed on a few random keys, wearing a doleful smile as she quirked a brow, consumed by her curiosity.

"Why?" she asked in a simple tone as he forced another smile, his eyes lowering onto the grand piano.

"My mother wanted me to focus on dance instead so I had to give it up." She nodded at him as silence settled in. She averted her attention to his fingers— long and slender. It was such a pity he had to give it up.

"Can you play a tune for me?" she asked as he jerked his head towards her, surprise was shining in his hazel eyes as his mouth hung slight apart, trying to form words.

"What? Why?" he asked, nibbling on his bottom lip. She knew silently that he only did that when he was nervous and uncomfortable.

"I heard you play just now, you're really good." she commented, smiling lightly at him as a small blush surfaced onto his pale cheeks, letting out another nervous chuckle.

"Thank you," he fidgeted with his fingers.

"So can you play one more time for me?" she asked as she watched him furrowed his violet brows, chewing on the walls of his cheek, thinking deep and hard as his fingers played around with the keys of the piano.

After awhile, he looked up at her, a smile tugging on his lips. His fingers settled down onto another set of keys as he curved them into position, taking in a deep breath as sweet music flowed out from the piano as she felt herself gasp in surprise and amazement.

"It's called 'Kiss The Rain'." He answered her un-asked question as he swayed his body with the music, his fingers light and agile, running across the keyboard.

It started with a soft and quiet introduction with a melancholy edge as it grew slightly louder as the music progressed, the piece getting smoother and well formed. She closed her eyes, letting the warm music flowed through her as minutes ticked by and she knew that the piece was coming to it's end.

"Why does it sound sad yet hopeful at the same time?" she found herself asking out of curiosity as he kept on playing, his eyes never once leaving his fingers.

He smiled lightly.

"Because I'm playing it from the bottom of my heart, just for you." She blushed a bright red at this as he grinned; his fingers started slowing down as the music grew lighter and softer, fading away. He looked up at her with a soft sigh, his smile still lingering on his lips. "Music is a powerful thing, you know? A piece by itself holds much emotions, it's a wonderful gift, really."

"But music is just-" she urged but was cut off by him once more with a playful grin playing on his lips.

"Vibrations passing through the air. Yes, I know that, Rima-chan, but music is also a great gift to one. It speaks in all languages and everyone can understand them clearly. Every song holds a reason to be written." She opened her mouth argue but was cut off once more as he lifted a finger, closing his eyes, "When words fail, music speaks." She turned away with a small pout.

"Whatever, Einstein." she retorted as he got up from the piano, leaning in towards her so that their faces were merely centimeters apart. She could feel her heart thumping loudly against her chest as red as a tomato as he smiled at her reaction.

"See you tomorrow, Rima-chan." he whispered into her ear as she shivered at his warm breath, tickling the lobe of her ear, deepening her blush as he left the room, his footsteps resonated through the music room, grinning away.

She watched, speechless as his shadowed disappeared around the corner before letting go a breath which she had been holding the whole time.

She glanced down at the white grand piano and smiled.

_And her door to the land of music was unlocked by a certain somebody._

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**A/N: Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistake? Leave a PM or review and I'll change it. Okay, another chapter done. Note that I do not own 'Kiss The Rain'; it's played and composed by one of my favorite composers, Yiruma. Go check it out on YouTube, you won't regret it. God, I'm seriously running out of themes so if you guys have any nice suggestion just leave a review or PM and help me out a lil'. Anyways the theme for the next chapter is...**

**Other Side**

**I hope you would stay tune for it. ~Candies4life**


	9. Other Side

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara; I would have owned all the candies in the world if I owned Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Thank you so much for those who reviewed and favorited. Thank you so much, I'm really really grateful for it. Okay, today's theme is ****Other Side**** and it's based on a song written by Taylor Swift, it's called 'The Other Side Of The Door'. I would highly recommend listening to it as you read on, it'll make things easier, trust me. And without further ado, kindly sit back and relax, and lets take a peak into the Bittersweet Days of Rima and Nagihiko.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet dreams, bitter regrets)_

Other Side

"I hate you! Go away and don't bother coming back ever again!" she shrieked at the top of her voice, tears streaming down her creamy cheeks. As she slammed the door in his face without even giving him the chance to defend himself, leaving him outside in the cold, chilly rain.

As soon as the door closed behind her, she sunk to her knees, her back leaning against her door as she covered her face with her tear-stained hands, sobbing violently into them, choking on her tears as the rain echoed in from the outside.

"Rima! Rima-chan! I'm sorry, look, I wasn't cheating on you. She's really someone I just met, honestly!" He pounded on her door profusely, his warm mellow voice sounded muffled through the door as she managed to catch the slight shiver at the end.

She clamped her ears shut, shaking her head as she squeezed her eyes tight. She just didn't want to hear his voice anymore. She was afraid that if she heard his voice any longer, she would let him into her house, away from the icy, falling rain outside.

She was tired. Sick and tired. She had had enough of all of these.

She recalled watching him enter a nearby cafe with another woman. She was a pretty brunette, she remembered, with that pair of puppy, brown eyes and that heart-warming smile that could charm any men. Of all the men, it had to be hers.

Her one and only Nagihiko.

That vixen... how dare she.

She had remembered vividly watching them laugh and talk, flirting around like any other couple would do, from another nearby table with her trust-worthy best friend, Amu. She had very nearly lost control of herself if it hadn't been for the pinkette.

That night, she had prompted him about the cute brunette he had went out with that afternoon and she knew very well that look on his face— Guilt and nervousness. He'd merely laughed it off nervously and didn't say anything after it, confirming her suspicions.

She gulped as she paused for awhile. There was an unnatural silence, his heavy breathing was gone and the knocking had ceased and she knew though she did not want to admit it; He'd left.

"That idiot..." she muttered into her knees, tears trickling down her chin as she sobbed and sniffled. How could he have left her? How? Didn't she mean anything to him at all?

Her eyes lowered onto her exquisite carpet which he'd bought for her when he was in Europe, tears still streaming. After all, she did ask him to leave but couldn't he see that she wanted him to stay?

_She'd said leave but all she'd wanted was really him; to stand outside her window, throwing pebbles, screaming that he loved her and to wait there in the pouring rain, coming back for more but she knew that for all that had happened, all she needed was on the other side of the door._

Was he really that blind to see that she still loved him despite everything?

---

Weeks had passed since that incident; she was lying with her tummy flat on the bed as she flipped through the pictures of them together since thirteen years ago when they were still in Elementary School. It was pouring heavily outside again.

At times like this she would be reminded of that very day. She chuckled bitterly to herself as she went through the pictures of her, smiling, scowling and pouting at him, occasionally throwing a peek at her phone.

He hadn't contacted her ever since and did not even came back.

She felt the tears welling up again as she bit on her lips, clenching her eyes, forcing herself not to cry. But she missed him. She missed him terribly. Every time she closed her eyes, his melodic voice kept flowing back to her. His promises and hums whenever she was feeling down flooded her mind as she suppressed the urge to let her tears fall.

Where was he?

She felt herself getting worried at his safety, picking up her phone hesitantly, flipping it open as she punched his number; her thumb trembled as she contemplated on whether she should call him in the first place. All she wanted was just to hear his voice. His sweet, mellow voice.

But if he thought he knew everything, why couldn't he see that when she left, she wanted him to chase after her?

And with that she snapped her phone shut, throwing it onto her soft bed, rage and anger building up inside of her.

She would have screamed out the window at him that day instead of going all the way to the front door but she couldn't even look at him. Looking at his long, velvet violet hair and his handsome face suddenly made her feel sick with disgust as though she could feel the remnants of that woman on him.

She didn't need a man like him. He was feminine and girlish in every sense, they did not couple well but deep down she knew she needed him. On those stormy nights with the sorrow and sadness brewing deep in her, she needed him to be there for her.

She needed him to hold her in his arms, tightly and securely in them, never letting go.

"There's nothing you can say to make this right again, just leave." was the first thing she said when he came down to her place that day before all the madness started.

But couldn't he see the meaning behind it all?

_She'd said leave but all she'd wanted was really him; to stand outside her window, throwing pebbles, screaming that he loved her and to wait there in the pouring rain, coming back for more and she knew for all that had happened, all she needed was on the other side of the door._

A soft tapping sound caught her attention, breaking her from the thoughts. It was too loud to be the rhythmic patter of the rain as she realized small pebbles were being thrown at her window. She gasped happily.

Could it be?

She jumped off her bed and hurried to her window as she grinned inwardly to herself, her heart screaming 'it's him, he's here!', sliding her window open slightly, inhaling the smell of the rain with a faint scent of cherry blossom.

"Rima-chan!" She heard him calling out; she could sense the relief in his voice as she peeked her head out of her window. She shut her window in a quick, swift movement as she ran down the stairs, unlocking her door where they both stood, panting heavily, and staring deep into each other's eyes.

She took this time to study him clearly.

His hair was wet and damp due to the rain as droplets of water trickled down his chin. He looked disheveled and messy with his damp clothes un-tucked and crumpled as he knelt on one knee, a bouquet of white daisies (He knew that daisies were her favorite flowers) in one hand while his other held a diamond ring (He had seen her looking at it longingly during one of their dates) in it.

"I'd never know it would end up like this. That brunette you'd seen the other day was the wedding organizer and we were talking about how to make our wedding as perfect as possible." he explained, wearing her favorite heart-warming smile of his. "I love you, Mashiro Rima. Will you marry me?"

She bit back her tears of happiness and threw her arms around him as he held her tightly in his arms.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Nagihiko. I'm so sorry for not trusting you." She snuggled into his chest as she heard him chuckle his favorite warm chuckle, feeling a wet hand brushing away the stray golden strands on her face.

"I forgive you," he smiled as he leaned in towards her as he grazed his lips over hers passionately, sharing a kiss under the pouring rain.

_She'd said leave but all she'd wanted was really him; to stand outside her window, throwing pebbles, screaming that he loved her and to wait there in the pouring rain, coming back for more because she knew that all she needed was on the other side of the door with his face and his beautiful eyes, and the conversation with those little white lies, and the faded picture of a beautiful night. He carried her up the stairs as she broke down crying, was she worth this mess? After everything and that little black dress, after everything she must confessed that she,_

_Needed him._

* * *

**A/N: Constructive Criticism is welcomed in open arms; spot any mistake? Just leave a review or PM and I'll try to change it ASAP. Well, this song was inspired by Taylor Swift's 'The Other Side Of The Door' from her platinum edition. I was listening to it one day and felt that it was a very much like Rimahiko scene and the idea just popped into my mind almost instantly. Alright enough of all that, the next theme would be.**

**Sea**

**Hope you would stay tune for it. ~Candies4Life**

TheGift13 was here.


	10. Sea

**Disclaimers: I do not own Shugo Chara but I do own a hamster named Nagi.**

**Ratings: K+**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**A/N: Once again, thanks for all the support and thank you so much for those that had reviewed, alerted and favorited. Well, today's theme is Sea, I hope you guys would enjoy it, let's take a peek to one of the Bittersweet Days of Nagihiko and Rima.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regrets)_

Sea

Salty sea spray blows into his face as his ochre eyes flips open, finding himself staring into a deep, blue azure sky, with the faint, lingering chirping of seagulls and the strong scent of salty sea breeze hanging in the air. He scans his unfamiliar surroundings as he sits himself up on the mat which he had been lying/sleeping on beneath a sunbrella.

Where is he?

He could feel the sand in his toes with the cool ocean breeze caressing his face. Right, he's at the beach...

He groans outwardly, shaking his head as he rubs his throbbing temples, clenching his eyes shut, his stomach giving off a weird, uncomfortable vibe. He feels nauseous and sick, and the salty scent of the beach and the raging heat from the sun isn't making it any better.

How the heck did he get here in the first place?

All he could remember was lying in his comfy bed, snuggling up to his white, fluffy pillow and dreaming about eating sweet raspberries, and the next thing he knows, he's awake on a public holiday on a warm, hot, salty beach which wasn't technically suppose to happen. At all.

The sounds of the all too familiar loud high-pitched giggles and the splashing of water catch his attention as he directs his gaze upon the scene before him.

Ah, yes, he remembers now.

He was dragged here from his sweet, comfortable bed to this rotten beach by a certain hyper-active brunette by the name of Yuiki Yaya when he was still asleep. She had practically ruined his entire plans for the day. His plans for sleeping in late... and his dancing practice for the day are destroyed. Gone forever. Though, he must admit that he's slightly thankful for skipping his dance practices but nonetheless...

He recalls rather vividly that as soon as he had reached the beach, lay down a mat and laid himself down onto it, he fell asleep all over again.

He sighs warily. His heads hurts terribly.

Salty sea water sprays into his face as he gags uncontrollably; feeling his stomach churn as a wave of nausea hits him hard in his head.

"Yaya-chan..." he coughs into his fist, looking up wincing-ly at the brunette who merely grins goofily at him, holding up a 'peace' sign in the form of a 'v' shape.

"Come on, Nagi, get your butt in the water now!" she calls out in her shrilly voice as he cringes slightly. With a throbbing headache, her voice seems to have amplified itself in his head.

"No thanks, I'm good here." he returns her call with a thumbs-up, rolling his eyes into his head.

"Aw, come on, New Jack, or are you afraid of a little water?" calls out the former Jack, his head bobbing out of the water.

"Once again, no thanks, Souma-kun, and yes, I'm afraid of the water, I can't swim." He smiles feebly as the Guardians shoots him a final look before going back to their fun and games though he knows very well that they didn't buy his reason.

Frankly, it isn't because he didn't know how to swim, in fact, he knows how to swim and very well too. It's just that, he hates the sea. Urgh, just thinking about its salty smell _or stench..._ could make him feel like throwing up. Whoever says that the sea makes them feel alive and energetic is one big, fat liar.

He groans inwardly, nibbling his lips as he feels his throat going a little dry. He looks up; realizing a bottle of mineral water is hold up in front of him as he catches his breath at the angel before him who settles herself down beside him.

"Water?" she offers in her soft, melodic voice as blood gushes up to his cheeks, finding himself unable to look her directly in the eye.

He nods silently, grabbing the water hastily in her hand as their fingers brushes against each other for a millisecond, deepening his blush, gulping down the water as fast as he could. He could hear his amplified heartbeats in his ear with his aching headache.

"You're not going to join them?" he asks, fidgeting with the flimsy plastic of the water bottle in his hands.

"I don't like the sun," she replies rather bluntly, yawning softly to herself.

"You're so fair, some sun will be good for you, you know? It contains vitamin D which is really important for us, teenagers." He lifts a finger, explaining with a smile as she raises a golden brow at this and for a minute there, he could have sworn he'd seen her blush but dismisses the thought as his imaginations playing tricks on him.

He cringes ever so slightly, feeling his head give a few throbs as his hand creeps over to his forehead, furrowing his brows, his teeth sinking into his lips.

"Are you okay?" she asks, raising a hesitant hand, trying to sound as indifferent as possible but her eyes gives her away and he couldn't help but smile at this.

"Yes, I'm fine, don't worry about it." he flashes her an assuring smile despite his sudden urge of wanting to barf. He feels sick but yet, he doesn't want to spoil the fun for her.

Her expression softens by an inch, turning away from his stare as she turns her attention to the rest of the gang who are playing in the water. He watches her with amusement, her lips taking a form of that of a smile as she turns towards him, the golden pools in her caramel eyes shimmering brightly.

"I'm going to join them for awhile," she says, pushing herself off from the bright orange mat as she jumps into the sea, beaming brightly at the other Guardian as a smile finds its way back to his lips, letting his body drop back onto the mat, his arms out-stretched as he let himself get some much needed shut-eye to sooth his aching headache.

After what seems like an eternity, a sharp, ear-piercing scream fills the sky as he jolts back up, looking around for the source of the scream as he gets up from the mat, running towards the shore-line of the sea.

"What's going on?" he calls out, his throbbing headache and nauseous long forgotten.

"Rima, she's drowning!" cries out his best friend, Amu, who's trying to swim back to shore with the other Guardians following suit.

"What?" he shouts, as he feels his heart thudding loudly against his chest, clenching his fist tightly.

"She got caught in a wave and was sent into the deeper water." He chews onto walls of his cheeks, getting nervous and worried as the seconds tick by.

"Where's Souma-kun?"

"He went back to Utau's beach house to wash up." He sinks his teeth into his lips, his nails digging deep into his palm. Apparently, Kukai is the better swimmer when it comes to deeper waters whiles the other Guardians... He sighs to himself.

God, crap it.

And without thinking any further, he jumps into the water, bracing himself against the cold, icy salty water as he swims towards the deeper side of the sea, fighting off the currents and waves which are aimed at him as he scans the vast water around him nervously, hoping to see a familiar golden head bobbing up at least.

He doesn't care if he isn't in the right attire to be swimming in the ocean, he doesn't cares if the other Guardians find it weird that he could swim when he had just claimed he could not. All he cares is her safety and her whereabouts.

"Rima-chan!" he screams, he could hear his heartbeats ringing in his ears as he treads the water to stay afloat, scanning around his empty blue surroundings. "Rima-chan, where are you?" he calls out, feeling desperate to hear her voice and to feel her touch.

And there, he sees it. Though it only lasted for a few seconds, he manages to catch the sight of a hand popping out to the surface of the water before sinking into the depths of the sea. He stares at the spot for awhile, memorizing the distance.

He inhales deeply, filling his lungs with full capacity of oxygen as he pin-points the spot he'd seen that small hand before diving in to the dark, blue waters, his dark violet hair clouding about him.

He does a three hundred-and-sixty degrees scan, catching the outline of a petite figure he which he could recognize anywhere. He pulls himself forward, kicking his powerful legs of that of a basketball player, feeling the soothing sensation of the water gliding across his skin.

As he nears her, he could make out that her eyes are closed and that tiny bubbles are escaping from her lips. This is bad sign. Very bad sign.

He pulls himself further, feeling the ache of his lungs as he let a few bubbles escape from his mouth, reaching out a hand, kicking himself forward, gritting his teeth.

He's at least fifty meters away from her.

He pulls and kicks, gliding across the water as he wince slightly at the salt hitting against his eyes, fighting the urge to close his eyes and let the water gush up his lungs..

A little more.

Pull, kick and glide.

He touches the surface of her smooth creamy skin as he entwines his arms around her small waist, floating up to the surface as he gasps for air, looking down into the unconscious face of a fair blonde, smiling lightly, "I finally got you,"

The distant sound of motor rings in the air as he turns towards the source of the noise, feeling his shoulders relax , a relief smile washing over his face, holding her tightly in his arms.

"Yo, Fujisaki! Called for help?" calls out a deep, boy-ish voice which clearly belongs to his best friend and mentor, Souma Kukai. He reaches out a hand which he grasps tightly, pulling himself and the girl in his arms up the motor boat.

The tanned soccer player throws him a towel, wrapping himself with it, shivering as the cool sea breeze brushes against his skin, his teeth chattering against each other, bringing his arms around him. He lowers his gaze upon the petite, fragile girl who is being tended by her two best girl pals who are relief that she's still alive.

And that's the story of how he'd gotten himself into the state he is in now— lying in bed with a high fever and a bad series of colds.

But he will never forget the day he'd swam in the sea.

_Just for her._

* * *

**A/N: Constructive Criticism is welcomed here; if you spot any mistake just let me know with a review or a PM, I'll change it as soon as I can. Alright, just to let you guys know, I'm kind of busy lately with some stuff so expect updates to be slower. I know I've always updated ****Bittersweet Days**** within a day or two but due to my tight schedule, updates would be delayed two to three days later. Yup, and any ****A Sleepover**** readers out there, updates would be fort-nightly from now on. Once again, I apologize for the delay of all my stories, please forgive me. Anyway, the next theme for the next chapter is**

**Art**

**Oh, and if you have any request for a particular theme, I'll be more than happy to do it and with all that, please stay tune for the next chapter of Bittersweet Days. ~Candies4Life  
**


	11. Art

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara, if I do, Rimahiko would have been a canon pairing right from the start.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**A/N: Thanks for those who supported this story by reviewing/ alerting/ favoriting/, really appreciate it. Alright, today's theme is ****Art**** and is dedicated to WantingFreedom who requested for this theme. All I've got to say, today's theme would be a reflective one in Nagihiko's point of view, I hope you would enjoy it. Let me take you to one of the Bittersweet Days of Rima and Nagihiko.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regrets)_

Art

There are many ways to view life if you think about it. For example, life could be viewed as a book which you write your daily occurrence on, it could also be viewed as a vast empty ocean with many secrets hidden within or a winding road with many twist and turns. But for Nagihiko, he would like to view his life as a piece of art, as simple as that. Or not.

Art takes many forms, it could be viewed as a dance, a piece of music, a portrait or a canvas, it could be anything. But in this case, he picked the latter one which is a surprise to some as many would think that one would pick their favorite hobby to describe 'life' but many a time he would beg to differ.

For the most part of his life, he had been painting his life on a white, empty canvas trying his best not to paint out of the lines, trying his best to be as perfect as possible, always making as little mistakes as he could.

He had to be perfect.

After all, he's the heir of the Fujisaki family.

Whenever he's at one of those family reunions, it would always feel like a battleground, he could feel those hateful eyes boring into his back, watching his every movement, waiting for the time to strike, waiting for him to make a single mistake that would threaten his place as heir of the family,

Thus since young, he'd always be trained to be careful and wary of those relatives of his, always being perfect, never making a mistake, never giving them the chance.

That is, until she entered his life, turning it upside down.

He recalls the very day he'd met her. The day he re-entered the doors of the Royal Garden that he had caught a sight of a very indifferent blonde who sat at her place elegantly, sipping her hot chocolate from the china he bought before he left, not caring of his presence until the mention of his 'twin sister' being best friends with Amu.

He could tell, up to this very date that she still pondered on why he could see through all her acts. It's a simple thing for him to do, he would chuckle. The reason was easy— her eyes.

Yes, it had always been those golden, aurulent eyes that gave her act away. The honey caramel eyes that held those fiery flames of jealousy in it. It gave her away. Maybe if she learnt how to control her jealousy, maybe, just maybe he wouldn't have seen through them that easily.

Though he had known from the very beginning that she was special than the other girls, with the inclusion of her stubborn attitude, but he would have never expected that she would be the one that would cause him to make those vital mistakes.

He for one knows that he's never the type to act rashly without thinking. He would never, ever take the risk of losing his life for something or someone. Or, that's what he thought before all this.

He remembers, still very vividly despite the fact that many years had passed since then, the first time he'd protected her from that dark, ominous wave of energy.

It was also the first time he painted out of the lines.

The first time he made a mistake. A mistake that probably changed his life ever since.

It was subtle at first but he knew, it was there and could never be erased again.

But it did not happen once but twice and thrice till it had became almost seemingly uncountable. Everytime she got herself in danger, he would act upon his instincts to protect her regardless of the dangers and the next thing he realzied was that his perfect drawing on his white canvas was getting out of hand with all those strokes he had painted out of the picture.

But things only got worse when he decided to try for the school's basketball team despite his parents disagreement, he still went with it. Though he knew, secretly that he wouldn't have went for try-outs if _she_ had not encouraged him to and for that, he would ignore those mocking gaze directed at him by his relatives who were eyeing for his place in the household.

However, after all that, he realized one day that he had changed.

He had changed a lot from that boy who only knew how to dance, who never knew how to take the risk and challenge, who never felt the rush of adrenaline and bliss of protecting the people he loved.

He had grown a lot and so did his imaginary painting on the empty canvas in his mind.

After many years of making mistakes, many years of protecting her, many years of being with her. He finally felt the splash of paint pouring in his imaginary canvas.

It didn't matter anymore.

It didn't matter if he's perfect, it didn't matter if he's the heir of the Fujisaki household. He didn't care anymore. He can be who he wants to be and who he chooses wants to be with, and that was her, and her only.

Without her, he wouldn't be here, arguing with them to stay in Japan. Without her, he would have flown all the way to Europe and never return. Without her, he would have been perfect all the time and never knew the meaning of imperfections. Without her, he would have never learnt to love...

But there was one thing he had forgotten about art and was too blinded to see that simple rule— Art can be anything. His mistakes, those ugly lines he'd painted out of the picture he'd been painting filled the whole canvas but now when he looks back on it, he smiles at the painting before him.

Art can be anything, and the art in front of him is the most remarkable piece of art he'd ever seen.

_And that was her._

* * *

**A/N: Constructive Criticism is welcomed openly and that if you spot any mistake, leave a review or a PM, I'll be sure to change it as soon as I can. Okay, I know it's kinda' short but as long as it'd sent that message out, I guess it's okay. Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm a little busy this week so I might not update that frequent anymore as I've got something on. Anyway, the next theme for the next chapter would.**

**Time  
**

**I hope you guys would stay tune for it, the next update would either be on a Sunday or a Monday. ~Candies4Life**


	12. Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara; the evil chocolate Easter bunnies will eat me up when I sleep.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Thanks for all your reviews and alerts, it really means a lot to me so thank you so much. Anyways, today's theme is Time and it's going to be a very long one. Now, without any further ado, let me take to the Bittersweet Days of Rima and Nagihiko.**

**Age Chart:**

**Nagihiko— 22**

**Rima— 22**

**Amu— 22**

**Ikuto— 28  
**

**Tadase— 22**

**Kukai— 23**

**Utau— 24**

**Yaya— 21**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Time

Time is a wondrous thing, a really powerful object and a fascinating gift. You can feel time but you can't see it but you know it's definitely there. For many centuries, scientists have been trying to find out how to control time and bend it but there is only one person that can control time and even turn back time and that person is the one and only.

_God._

So basically to us, mankind, to be able to control time, we're sharing the same power as god, allowing us to access a god-like status, never before seen and to be able to control time, we might actually find a way to immortality, letting us share another trait of god.

But of all the benefits of time, it can also make one forget. It can make one forgive and forget, to get rid of the pain. Even the ugliest scar would fade when time passes by but sometimes, just maybe, there's a chance that time cannot erase the pain, yet, everyone have to take that chance just to forget the emptiness inside even if it kills yourself in the process.

And that is why she's in the living room on a cold night, throwing the pictures of him and her together in the fire because she wants to forget him and for that to happen, she had to get rid of the remnants of him and let Time do its job.

_To forget..._

But there's many a time, she wishes not to. She wishes to remember, to engulf herself in all those sweet memories of them together, to repeat his melodic voice in her mind over and over again and to soak herself in his lukewarm embrace, his soft, sweet chuckles and smiles...

She blinks back her tears, sniffling to herself, trying her best not to let the tears fall as it she knows, it would never stop once it hits the ground.

_Yet, after everything they'd been through, he had to leave._

"Don't go, please, Nagihiko." she remembers pleading, eyes filled with glistening tears as he holds her tightly in his arms beneath that cherry blossom tree which resides near the Love-Knot Temple which they always hang out at. He buries his head into her hair, she could feel his trembling warm breath brushing lightly against her ear.

"I'm sorry, Rima but my mother's words are final. I really want to bring you with me but she just wouldn't let me." He pulls himself away and she could see him wavering, his eyes shimmering with tears as he holds a sorrowful smile.

"Let's elope and get away from Japan, far, far away." she suggests, her lips trembling as she pulls herself into his chest. He chuckles bitterly.

"They'll find us for sure, Rima. The Fujisaki household is far more powerful than you've ever imagine and moreover, I'm the only heir to my family." He cups her chin as she lets a lone tear trickles down her cheek. He thumbs away her tears, planting a small kiss on her forehead."I might never return Japan again so if whatever happens... don't. Don't you dare wait for me."

"N-no... I can't," she snuggles against his chest, letting her salty tears stain his shirt as he pats her back.

"Please, Rima, just forget me..." His voice trembles at the end, his chest heaves in as he takes a deep breath, "Don't make this any harder for me... please," he says in a whisper, nearly inaudible to her ears. He pulls away from her, leaning in towards her as he crushes his lips against hers, planting a passionate kiss.

And after that, she remembers feeling a wave of fatigue hitting her as she falls into the dark depths of the oblivion. When she awakes, fluttering her golden orbs open, she realizes that she's in her bed and that he isn't by her side anymore, leaving her to think that all that is just a dream but when she'd seen that piece of flimsy paper written in his neat, cursive writing, her hopes fell right to the bottom.

She couldn't help but break down into tears after reading the first line of his letter, bringing a hand over her mouth to muffles her sobs and cries of despair.

_Because she knows that he's gone forever so she waits patiently for Time to erase him from her memories._

The first week of separation, the first week without hearing his voice, feeling his touch, inhaling his scent. She feels horrible; hollow, like part of her is missing. Gatherings with her best friends and ex-Guardians feel dull and boring without him around.

No smart comments, no intelligent retorts, no Nagihiko to argue with...

Everything seems to whizz by without him by her side and Tadase's jokes are getting colder by the minute, no one bothers to even fake a smile now. Her once colorful and bright life, now seems so dull and lifeless, like everything's black and white.

She yearns for his presence badly.

Things aren't the same without him. Not anymore.

_So she awaits time to heal her wounds._

It's the first month of separation and she's lying on her back on her comfy bed, staring up blankly at the ceiling walls, fighting her urge to check her phone for any calls or messages for the millionth time. One month has already pass by in a blur, yet, she receives no news from him. Not even a letter.

Her phone vibrates on her dresser, rattling it as she shoots up from the bed, flying to her phone, a smile crossing her face as she flips her phone open but her smile soon drops as soon as she realizes it's a best friend Amu who had messaged her.

She sighs, replying to the pinkette's text as she drops her phone back onto the dresser, pacing back to her bed with heavy steps.

Even her friends are starting to worry for her though they know very well she doesn't want them to worry but looking at her right now. Her form right now, it isn't petite and doll-like anymore, now since he's gone, she refuses to eat and refuses to sleep at night but she knows that it's not that case.

She refuses to eat as every time she eats, she'll think about the many dinner-dates they had together and then her mind would wander back to his departure, by then her appetite is ruined and she just couldn't bring the silverware filled with food to her mouth.

She refuses to sleep as every time she closes her eyes, all she sees is him with those beautiful eyes that twinkle under the light and his trademark gentle smile which never fails to calm her nerves. Her dreams are filled with sweet memories of the times they spent together and somehow, it always switches back to that time of his leaving which then leaves her awake in her bed with cold sweat trickling down her forehead and tears streaming down her cheeks.

She sits on her bed in her room, scanning her surroundings as a wave of haziness clouds her heart, her eyes darkening by the second. Right, she had burnt/thrown away every tiny remains of him. Everything. How could she have forgotten? But silently, she knows that she wishes she'd at least kept something to remind him of her.

But she and her stubborn pride.

He'd asked her to forget him and not to wait, and so she shall but she regrets terribly for doing so as sometimes, she could feel the weight of time pressing against her.

She's starting to forget.

Those tiny things about him.

His habits and favorite foods, she's starting to forget.

_Yet, why isn't she happy about Time's work on her?_

A year had just flown by; she's sitting in the diners chatting happily with a young, charming lad with messy dark jet hair and a pair of mesmerizing sea green eyes with a smile that could make any girls fall to his feet.

Yes, she'd finally decide to move on and to see other people to get rid of the pain and emptiness she feels inside.

She feels his smooth silky hand creeping up to her delicate hand which is placed on the table top as she looks up at him strangely. He chuckles and flashes a smile which seems all so familiar... too familiar. It makes her hurt inside.

She draws her hand back to her side, lowering her head as his emerald eyes widens at her reaction. She gets up from her seat and bows apologetically, "I'm sorry but I have to leave," and with that she leaves the diner with quick, fast-paced steps. She could hear him calling after her but she chooses to ignore him, the tears welling up in her eyes.

She flags the nearest taxi and jumps into the yellow cab, speeding away before her date could even catch up with her.

She whispers her address to the driver as she hugs herself tightly, looking out the windows of the yellow cab as the dark, glowy scenery whizzes by. She sniffles softly, her hand creeping to her mouth as she sinks her teeth into her finger, trying to stop herself from sobbing.

Up till now, she still misses him.

No, she have to forget him, she have to. He isn't coming back anymore. The hugs and kisses they'd shared together, she must forget. But yet, she still can't bring herself to love another man other than him.

His voice, now when she thinks back, it sounds distant and fading, his chuckles and the way he smiles... she's forgetting slowly.

Whoever says that Time heals all wounds is wrong on that part. Time, she feels, is a cruel object, in order to forget and heal, it has to create such pain and sorrow for one to undergo but as the saying goes: Everything have a price to pay.

_The ache she feels inside is merely a price to pay to forget him but is it all worth it?_

Time really is a mysterious subject, it really makes one forget, or is it? She can't really be too sure. Five years have passed since his departure, her hopes have been wearing her thin and she finally gives up on waiting and finally gives up on love for the time being.

She's now a famous comedian and now more commonly known as the 'Goddess of Comedy'. So far, she's been having many stand-up comedies here and there, touring Japan and making others laugh, having no time for love at all but time to time, she would set aside some time for gatherings with her ex-classmates and best pals.

"Ah, Rima, long time no see," hugs her best girl friend, Amu as the two girls trade hugs and giggles. She looks over the rosette's shoulder, finding an aloof-looking man, with dark, messy raven hair and indigo eyes, his hands tuck into his fashionable jeans as he chats with the guys of the group.

"Still happily married with that cat, I see." she quirks a quick golden brow at her blushing friend who merely lets out a nervous giggle.

"Yeah... Kukai and Utau seem to be hitting it off great, huh," coughs Amu as she tries to change the subject. She smirks at this but decides to let it slide, sipping her cup of hot chocolate (Yes she still loves it up till this very day.)

"Hm," she nods carefully, sparing a glance in the tanned athlete's direction, his arm tightly wrapped around the waist of his girlfriend, Hoshina Utau. "I bet you a fifty that they'll going to announce their marriage today."

"Deal! I'd bet they haven't even thought about marriage yet." snorts Amu as a certain cat comes over, grabbing her from behind playfully, earning a surprise yelp from the pinkette who gave him a soft nudge on his shoulder.

"So, any news of girly boy?" Amu let out a cough as she directs a glare in her husband's direction who merely shrugs at her. She feels her stomach dropping into the pits as her golden eyes darkens, her throat going dry. She purses her lips.

"No..." she whispers, almost incoherently, gulping. Amu elbows her husband in his shoulder but he merely held her elbow in place, surprising his wife as he flashes an enigmatic smirk.

"Oh?" He chuckles in his low, deep voice with a smirk, his indigo eyes sparkling as both girls cast him a strange, questioning glance. He pats the back of the petite blonde, the same smirk still lingering on his lips, "Don't worry, you'll hear from him soon... very soon."

And with that, the pinkette drags her husband away by his ear, apologizing to the small, petite-looking blonde with a smile and a quick bow of her head, leaving the blonde in her seat, sipping her cup of hot chocolate she ponders on the words which Ikuto had said, wondering if there's a double meaning behind it.

She returns home that day, finding a note on her mahogany door. She swipes it away, 'clicking' her door open with her brass key as she steps foot into her empty house, eyes scanning through the note.

_Rima:_

_Meet me at the cherry blossom tree by the Love-knot temple._

She purses her lips, as she quirks, letting the flimsy piece of paper slip out of her fingers and watches it land on the surface of her dresser.

Whoever that had written that piece of letter did not leave a name.

She feels a sense of familiarity hitting her as she picks up the paper again, her eyes going through the words that the sender had written.

That handwriting...

She remembers seeing it somewhere.

She chews on the corner of her lips, thinking deep and hard but still, she couldn't find the answer to the mysterious note that is left for her.

She sighs, her eyes flitting back to the note as she decides to leave for the Love-knot temple.

---

Her golden aurulent eyes runs through the details of the cherry blossom tree which stands a few meters away from as she stands hidden in the nearby bushes, narrowing them onto it as her lips take the form a sad frown, sighing bitterly to herself. So many sweet memories...

She would have turned her back on the tree and walk back home but a lone, lean figure catches her attention. She watches the man clothes in a lime green hoodie, with his hands tuck into his baggy jeans as he tilts his head up at the cherry blossom tree, studying it.

His form and posture seems all so familiar. Where has she seen it... ?

She tries to catch a glimpse of the tall, young man's face but realizes it's hidden beneath a basketball cap but he after all that, she manages to catch an all-so familiar smile which is playing on his lips. Unconsciously, she finds herself walking up to him, with a wave of déjà vu overwhelming her.

"The cherry blossom really is a beautiful tree." he comments in a flowing, deep and melodic voice which somehow triggers some memories she'd locked up deep in her heart. She nods at him as he let a small, amused smile cross his lips. "So, what are you doing here?" the man drawls.

She shrugs nonchalantly, "A meeting," she merely reply as she steals a glance at her watch before turning her attention to the man who stands towering above her.

She could barely see his face, all that is left unclothe is his perfectly chiseled nose and mouth, his hair is securely tucked into his hoodie and baseball cap.

"Oh? Me too, what a coincidence," he chuckles with amusement and she finds the pieces of the imaginary puzzle clicking in her mind. That chuckle, that voice and that smile... she'd seen it all before but where? Where...? "Hmm, do you know that you're just in time to catch the bloom of a cherry blossom tree?" He lowers his head down on her and for a split second, she sees a flash of ochre as a gush of memories floods her mind.

Her eyes widen a little, her mouth parting ever so slightly as the man grins at her reaction.

"Wh-who... are you?" she breathes, gulping. She could feel her heart thudding loudly in her ribcage and her palms going all cold and clammy.

The man's lips parts as he lets out yet another soft, soothing chuckle which rings many bells in her head_, "_No, it's who do you want me to be_, Rima-chan?"_

She gasps softly, eyes widening further as she raises a shaky, hesitant hand close to his hood but she couldn't find the strength to pull down his hood in a quick, swift movement. As she nears his hood, he catches her hand tightly in his, her fingers snapping tight on the edge of the hoodie as the man directs her hand, tugging off the hood in a sleek, delicate movement.

"I'm back, Rima." he smiles, his long flowing, dark, persian indigo hair flies about in the light breeze as if happy to be released back into the air. "It took you that long just to figure it out, huh?" he asks teasingly as she slaps him across his face, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You asked me to forget you and not to wait for you." She tries to calm herself but to no avail as she watches him recover from the blow. "And here you're are and freaking tell me that you're back. You think this is just a joke?"

"I'm sorry, Rima, but I just wanted to surprise you, that's all. Didn't that black cat gave you some hints to at least prepare you or anything?" He rubs his raw, red cheek glancing down at her with that pair of sparkling ochre eyes.

"Oh? So he was part of your freakinglish perfect ploy after all. No wonder..." she rolls her eyes into the back of her head. "You, sir, are not forgiven. Go back to Europe, go away for all I care." she mouths every word, pronouncing it carefully in between gritted teeth, her voice trembling at the end.

"Look Rima, I really—"

"Do you have any idea how much I'd thought about you for the past five years when you're in that god-forsaken place? You never write, you never call, it's like you've disappeared from the face of Earth," A delicate hand creeps to her forehead as she nibbles on her trembling lips, tears trickling down her chin. "Do you have any idea how much pain and suffering I've been through... just to forget you?"

Silence slips in as she lowers his head, eyes narrowing onto the ceramic tiles, letting out a tired sigh. She begins retreating slowly, as her salty tears hit the pavement. A soft, silky hand coils itself around her wrist, pulling her into a semi-toned chest, a face breathing into her hair as she inhales that strong scent of cherry blossom which he usually emanated.

"I'm sorry Rima but after everything, my mind had never left you. I've been thinking about you all this time." She lets herself sink into his warmth and touch as she clings tightly onto him, breathing in his unique scent she'd missed for a long time. He draws himself away from her after awhile, whispering into her ear, "Marry me, you'll never be alone. I love you and that's all I really know."

"Your family?"

"My mother asked you to go pick out a white dress." She smiles at him, a smile which she have not smiled in aeons as she raises a hand. He flinches. She giggles as she gently cradles his cheek, standing on tip-toe, leaning up towards him as she plants a small kiss on his lips before breaking away, "I do,"

---

And now she knows, whoever had ever said Time heals all wounds is one great, big fat, liar. Time never really heals the wounds, it only makes one forget.

It takes many years to forget something but only a mere second to remember something upon seeing it. Time is a wondrous thing, a really powerful object and a fascinating gift. You can feel time but you can't see it but you know it's definitely there...

_But aside for time, patience is the key to true hapiness._

* * *

**A/N: Please keep the Constructive Criticism rolling; if you spot any mistake let me know by leaving a review or a simple PM and I'll change it as soon as I can. Oh wows, what a long chapter, -sighs-. It practically took me three whole days just to actually type this one. God, it turned out way different than how I imagined it should have but either way, I liked how it turned out. Okay, the next theme shall be...**

**Vanilla Twilight  
**

**All I can say that it would be based on the song 'Vanilla Twilight' by Owl City. I hope you guys would enjoy it, stay tune for the next chapter of Bittersweet Days. ~Deon**


	13. Vanilla Twilight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Thank you so much for those who reviewed/favorited/alerted/, thank you, thank you so much. And for all the support I get for the past chapter, I'll give you an earlier update than usual. It's a short one but it's better than nothing. Well, today's theme is Vanilla Twilight, it's a special one dedicated to XprocrastinatorX who requested for it, I hope you guys would enjoy it. Please take a seat back as I take you to one of the Bittersweet Days of Nagihiko and Rima.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Vanilla Twilight

It's a starry night in Europe and he's lying in bed with his persian indigo hair sprawl out in all directions on his bed, his folded arms tuck beneath his head as he stares up at the ceiling boards with a blank expression on his face, listening to whizzing of cars from the outside. Her face flashes across his mind as he gives a brief smile before frowning again.

He misses her badly.

He bolts up abruptly, sitting on his bed as he ruffles his violet hair roughly, grunting with frustration to himself before dropping himself onto the bed again as he glances at the clock beside him, sighing outwardly.

It's three in the morning.

He groans loudly, clenching his ochre eyes shut as he wishes desperately for someone to pour him a heavy dose of atmosphere so he'll doze off safe and soundly. But he knows that it wouldn't kill his yearn for her arms, wrapping around him.

His eyes shot open, getting up as he rummages through his shelves, searching for something as he sinks his teeth onto his lips nervously. It got to be here somewhere...

He lifts a postcard in the air with triumph, letting a smile tug at his lips, walking over to his desk as he begins writing to her on the postcard of the Eiffel tower in Europe,

_'Cause he wishes she was here by his side._

He stands out in his balcony, watching the night turn light blue as the sun peeks out from the horizon; the written postcard sits on his desks as he plans to send it to her later that day. His eyes darkens as he watches the sun rises before him, painting the sky a luminous shade of orange because it isn't the same without her as it takes two to whisper quietly.

He inhales the morning air deeply, filling his lungs with air rich in oxygen as he decides to himself that the silence isn't as bad as he thought it would be until he looked down at his hand, his frown forming on his lips yet again.

_He misses her touch; the gaps between his fingers are right where hers fits perfectly. _

He gulps, he could feel the tears forming in his eyes, threatening to spill any minute now but he holds strong, wiping away his tears as he shakes away all of the feelings of sadness and longing, throwing himself onto his bed.

He'll find repose somehow, probably in new ways, like dozing in class. He's smart; he'll be able to catch up with class work quickly so it doesn't really matter. He yawns tiredly.

Though he have not slept in two straight days, the cold nostalgia in his new high school in Europe chills him to the bone where flashbacks of the Guardians and _her_ keep drowning away his thoughts. But drenched in Vanilla twilight, he'll sit on the front porch for the whole night if that even matters, with his waist deep in thoughts because when he thinks of her, he doesn't feel so alone.

Her glares, her pouts, her frowns, her smiles, her giggles, her laughers and her voice...

_When he thinks of them, he feels the loneliness slipping away._

As many times as he blinks, he'll think of her... tonight; he'll think of her whenever he's mind isn't occupied...

Sometimes he'll wish his heavy wings would grow lighter so that he could have a taste of sweet heaven and feel alive again, to have the strength to come back to feel her touch and to see her smiles; he'll forget the world that he once known but he swears he will never forget her despite everything that had ever happened.

Oh, if only his voice could reach back through the past, if only he could hold her in his arms once more, he would have whispered in her ear before he'd left, before all the madness and everything began,

_'Oh Rima, I wish you were here.'_

* * *

**A/N: Constructive Criticism is really welcome here; spot any mistake? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, please forgive me xD and if you have any particular request for a certain theme, please don't be shy and let me know, I'll see if I'm able to write it out. Yes, and the theme for the next chapter would be**

**Treasure**

**I hope you would stay tune for the next chapter of Bittersweet Days. ~Deon**


	14. Treasure

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara or any of its characters so please don't sue me.**

**Ratings: K+**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**A/N: Thanks a lot to those who'd read, reviewed, favorited and alerted, I have no idea how I'm suppose to repay you guys. Today's chapter is a real short one, it's more like a drabble in Nagihiko's point of view. This is probably the first time I'm writing in first person so if you spot any mistake, please let me know and without further ado, let me take you to one of the bittersweet days of Nagihiko and Rima.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regrets)_

Treasure

Dancing with the fan was probably the first hobby I ever had,

But that was a long time ago...

The time I used to spend,

Playing around with the fan my mother had given since I was young,

The beads of perspiration I had sweated and the smiles that I'd smiled were all marked on it.

I'll never forget my first playmate,

My other self,

The only time I could be who I wanted to be.

It was the only thing that brought me joy when I was upset.

The only thing that filled the gaps within me.

It made me feel whole.

The light in my darkness,

The key to my lock.

I'll never forget the first time I wrapped my fingers around the white delicate piece of thin paper,

Though it was slightly run down,

It was still a jewel in my eyes.

— A treasure.

Happy or sad,

Rain or shine,

I danced.

I danced my heart out that day,

Feeling the surge of happiness that ran through my veins.

The fire in my wilderness,

My hope and joy.

It was the only thing I was good at,

The only thing that no one could beat me at.

The only thing that people respected me for.

But all that was before she'd entered my life.

The first time I'd met her, my view on her was the typical,

Petite young blonde who liked to make use of others.

Time drew by and I realized,

She wasn't as bad as I thought she was.

She was a nice girl,

Despite the cold and cruel façade she wore on the outside,

I knew that deep down, she was just as weak and powerless.

Nonetheless, I found myself drawn to her.

That tiny, petite girl.

And because of that,

I'd protected her regardless of the situation.

And unconsciously,

She became my fan which I'd spend my time on,

Which I'd given my smiles and effort to.

Because she's my fan,

My light,

My fire,

She'd also become my treasure.

* * *

**A/N: Constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. -Sighs- Up till now, I'm still feeling really guilty for updating with such a short story but don't worry, I know how you guys would be so disappointed by the shortness of this chapter that I'd decided to give you a faster update and sort of a longer chapter for the next theme, I'll try to update by tomorrow or by the end of the day. Well, let's put all this updating crap aside and get on with the next theme,**

**Blind**

**Anyway, I hope you guys would stay tune for the next chapter of Bittersweet Days. ~Deon**


	15. Blind

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews, alerts and favorites, thank you so much for all the support I get and here's the update I'd promised for the extreme short drabble in the previous chapter. Now, without holding you back any further, let me take you to the Bittersweet Days of Nagihiko and Rima**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Blind

She sits in a wheelchair by the ebony, grand piano in her large, empty house which resembles much like a mansion, running a slender finger down the dark, solid wood, the texture warm and smooth against her bare finger. She could feel the warmth of the morning sun, streaming down on her and the piano as the faint chirping of the birds lingers through the balcony near the piano, inhaling the deep scent of cherry blossom mixed with grass and morning dew.

Her caramel, gold locks cascade down to her waist as her cheeks holds a tint of pink to it, her complexion, fair and creamy as the gentle sunlight gives her skin a warm glow. She seems a almost perfect. Almost.

With that exception of her closed eyes.

"Shall I play a tune, Rima?" he asks, his mellow voice as thick and smooth as a running river sounding from behind her as she forces a weak, feeble smile at him.

"It's okay, Nagihiko," she turns to face him, flipping her eyes open, revealing a pair of golden, luteous orbs despite the fact that all she sees is a pitch black of darkness even with her eyes open. Silence settles in and she could almost feel him frowning, nibbling on his lips. She knows it's one of the favorite habits of his.

"Are you sure? Do you want Amu to come over, along with her husband? Ikuto would be glad enough to play his violin for you," She cuts him off, placing a hand over his silky, warm one which are holding on to the handles of her wheel chair.

She forces another smile at him once more.

"It's okay, Nagihiko, I'm sure Amu and Ikuto wants to spend time together," she muses as his hand figets under her touch. She could hear him gulping softly as he inhales deeply, mouth parting open.

"But I'm also sure that they wants to spend some time with you, Rima. We could invite Kukai and Utau too, I'd bet Utau wouldn't mind singing along to Ikuto's violin." He insists as she feels her wheelchair moving, it's wheels squeaking as it rolls over the hardwood floors of their mansion-like house. The darkness seems lighter in her new spot and she deduces that he must have pushed her over to the balcony.

"Please, Nagihiko," she tightens her clutch on his smooth, silky hand, "It's really okay,"

She hears him letting out a tired sigh, followed by the quick exhale of air from him which he usually does when he smiles.

"Okay, Rima." he replys in his usual flowing voice as he lets out a grunt, settling himself down beside her.

She smiles inwardly to herself, sighing softly as she tilts her head up at light carefree breeze which brushes across her face caressingly. It would be times like this when she would recall to that very day she ended up in a state like this, with her sense of sight gone and her pair of limbs useless.

Yes, she remembers it so well like it's yesterday, with the summer air flowing through her veins. She's standing in the square, looking across the busy street which buzzes by in front of her. She hears her name being called out by her fiance, with his dark violet strands of hair swaying in the breeze, a large grin plasters across his face as he holds out a bouquet of roses in front of him. She smiles at him, waving as he crosses the busy street.

He's crossing the street with caution. He's nearly reaching the concrete pavement until the blearing of the horns and headlights.

And all hell breaks loose.

Her eyes widens with fear as she rushes towards him, giving him a hard jerk on his shoulder as the screeching of the breaks rings in her ears, follow by the overwhelming impact which consumes her lower body and then darkness.

She then recalls the stagnant scent of antiseptic filling the air, when she'd awaken from her slumber. A delicate, warm hand grasping her hand tightly as warm wet tears spills over her bear skin. She opens her eyes, wanting to find the source of the tears but all she sees is a veil of darkness surrounding her.

"Rima, you're awake," says a soft mellow voice which seems to tremble at the end as the hand which coils around her own, tightens.

She feels the panic washing her entire being, as she glances around frantically, hoping to see his face.

"Nagi... Nagihiko, where are you?" She looks around waving her hands around in the immense darkness, "Why is it so dark?"

"Rima, I'm right here," she feels a pair of arms wrapping around her, pulling her into a chest, filling her lungs with the familiar scent of cherry blossom as her erratic breaths start to calm down, "Doctor! Get me a doctor!" she hears him shouting, follow by a loud slam of the door.

"Nagihiko, what's going on? Why is it so dark? Why can't I see your face?" She feels the tears streaming as he rubs her back in a soothing manner.

"Hush... Rima... hush... everything's going to be alright." Despite the gentleness of his voice, she manages to catch the slight tremor at the end of his sentence, as his wet tears stains her clothes.

And ever since she has been confined to a wheel chair with the loss of sight. The doctor had made it clear that she's already lucky for not loosing her memories along with her legs and eyes.

The tears she once bury so deeply are rising up to the surface as she feel them welling up in her eyes. She lets out a soft inaudible sniffle as she wipes away her tears.

"Nagihiko, could you play that song? Um, the 'Moonlight Sonata' by Beethoven." she says, almost in a whisper as he pushes her back into the room way the grand piano stands.

"I would love to," and with that, the warm flowing music of the piano resonated through the house as she let the music run through her mind.

She smiles a doleful smile as she listens attentively to the piece of music which is slowly taking form a running river under the moonlight in her head.

She sighs, her mind averting away from the music in front of her as she opens her eyes, half-hoping to see the scene in front of her— Nagihiko sitting by the dark, jet-colored piano with the soft sunlight streaming through the piano but she knows that it wouldn't be possible.

She gulps back her tears.

Nagihiko, her husband, must be a disappointment to his family.

The only heir, the best dancer in the family marries a blind and not some, smart, rich and beautiful woman of an upper-class family. Now, without her legs and eyes, she's useless and feeble to him but why? Why did he not leave her when he had the chance? Why did he not listen to his elders and family to marry a better woman instead of her?

She isn't good enough for him, not one bit. Not at all.

"Hey... Nagihiko..." she says in a trembling tone as the music resolves to a halt as he turns towards her, the chair squeaking slightly.

"Yes, Rima?" he asks, in a light, easy tone. She could feel his gentle smile on her as the guilt she feels in the pits of her stomach brews up within her making her fidget in her wheel chair.

"Are you... are you a disappointment to your family?" she asks the question which she'd been itching to ask, lowering her head as her golden locks forms a curtain around her. He seems to ponder on her question for awhile, she had no idea about the expression on his face. Is he frowning? Is chewing on his lips like he would always do? Or is he just staring at her blankly? She would never know.

Much to surprise he chuckles softly with a small hint of amusement hanging lightly on his chuckle as he muses, "Why do you say that?"

"You could have married someone with higher standard, someone that could meet your family's expectation but you threw that all away, even your dream, just to be with me..." her sentence ends with a soft whimper as the tears which she'd hold back the entire time, fall. "Why do you still care for me despite everything? We didn't you leave me while you still can?"

He lifts her hand, guiding it to his lips, to assure her that he's smiling and that he isn't frowning despite the tears which are streaming down his cheeks. She could feel them, salty and wet. He's crying as well.

"I'd never regretted once, because ever since you entered my life, you'd became my dream, my everything." he speaks in a confident tone, still smiling despite the tears which are trickling down his chin.

"Why are you crying?" she asks, her tears running free and fast.

"Because it pains me to see you having doubts in yourself." He clutches her hand tightly in his as she lets out a soft sob. "And it pains me to see you cry,"

"Why?" she asks in a soft tone, almost inaudible as he cradles her cheeks gently, chuckling a wistful tune.

"Have you forgotten that I love you?"

She widens her sightless eyes with shock as she frowns at herself, her tears flowing at faster rate. After all this time, she finally realizes for the first time that she had been blinded by all her flaws and handicap to see that all this time, he'd loved her with all his heart.

_That he'd ignored all her imperfections and loved her for who she is._

Even with her loss of sight, she's still blind deep inside. So very blind to see that the man in front of her loves her so much and would even risk anything just for her.

She sinks her head into his chest as she bawls her eyes out, sobbing loudly, clutching the fabric of his clothes between her fingers tightly as he buries his head into her hair, patting her lightly on her back.

_"I'm so sorry, Nagihiko... for ever being so blind."_

* * *

**A/N: Constructive Cricticism is welcomed openly; spot any mistakes, even the subtle, tiniest one? Let me know by leaving a review or a PM and I'll see what I can do with it. I don't have much to say about this chapter except that it's sort of base on the series I'm working on right now. The next theme for the next chapter is the somewhat most requested theme and it is...**

**Flowers**

**I'll hope you stay tune for the next update of Bittersweet Days. ~Deon**


	16. Flowers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara. Maybe in my dreams, I will own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Thanks so much to those who'd taken their time to review/favorited/alerted, you all really know how to make my day. Today's chapter is dedicated to those who'd previously requested it, thank god that the inspiration finally hit me or I would have never completed it. Well without holding you back, let me take you to another page of the Bittersweet Days of Nagihiko and Rima.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Flower

Nagihiko looked across the table of the Royal Garden, pausing in his work, realizing that everyone was having a 'slow' day like him. Tadase, for the first time was slouching over with his shoulder hanging slightly forward as he rested his head on his palm, looking through his piles of documents with sleepy magenta eyes, letting out a soft yawn.

Yaya on the other hand, had her orange-brown head on the table as she stamped on the documents that had passed through Tadase with a large, blocky red 'approve' chop. Her eyes were partially closed, her hand slamming onto the table with the 'approved' chop wrapped around her fingers, rattling the contents on the table.

He turned his head towards the pinkette named, Amu. She was leaning against her chair in her calm and relax manner like always. He sighed, being the Joker's chair; she did not have any of the tiring paper work the other Guardians had to do. What a sweet, easy life she had, he sighed enviously.

His eyes averted towards the empty seat of the Queen's chair as he pondered on the whereabouts of the petite blonde as she'd never been late before. He assured himself that she was probably caught up with some tasks with the teacher and that she was probably fine, trying to get rid of the worry and concern which was overwhelming him by the minute.

"Hmm... White Day's coming," drawled a shrilly voice as he turned towards the brunette sharply, bursting out of his thoughts, blinking at her.

"Huh?" He asked, glancing around the table as everyone seemed to have snapped out of their lethargic position and was staring expectantly at him. He gulped.

"So what are you going to get for Rima-tan?" asked the hyper-active brunette slyly as he flushed deep red. She had that 'look' on her face which he'd always hated.

"Um..." he chuckled nervously, biting on the corner of his lips as he stared up at everyone's face and much to his horror; they were all sparkling with anticipation. Everyone had paused in their work for the time being, giving him their full attention. He could feel the butterflies in his stomach. "What are you talking about...?" he mumbled softly, red in the face as he stole a peek at the empty Queen's chair, deepening his blush slightly.

There was an exasperated sigh coming from Yaya as she leaned her back against the chair, stretching her legs out, "Come on, Rima-tan's not here, you don't have to be shy, Nagi," His eyes widened slightly as he felt himself turning redder, right up till his hair roots.

"W-what?" he stuttered ever so slightly, chewing on his lips nervously as cold sweat seemed to be forming on his forehead.

"Everyone here knows that you like Rima, Nagihiko. You don't have to hide it," Amu rolled her eyes as he gaped at her slightly shocked, his hands going all cold and clammy.

"Well, what are you going to get for Mashiro-san?" Now it was the King's chair turned to speak and it only seemed to make matters worse.

"Well..." he started off slowly, licking his lips, he could his throat going a little dry as everyone leaned in towards him to have a better hear of what he was going to say, "I was thinking flowers but truthfully, I don't really know her favorite flower is..."

"Ah! Yaya thinks that Rima-tan likes Sunflowers," exclaimed Yaya with a goofy grin in her loud, shrilly voice.

Nagihiko frowned inwardly.

"Hmm... but I don't think Mashiro-san is that kind of person who likes vibrant colors and flowers. I think her favorite flower is the Ambrosia, something more like her..." mused the King's chair, his fingers encircling around his chin as his garnet-like eyes held a glint to it.

"What do you think is Rima-tan's favorite flower, Amu-chi?" The pinkette seemed to ponder on this for a long while as she let out a defeated sigh, looking up to the three curious faces of the Guardians.

"Rose? Every girl loves roses, it's really romantic..." trailed of Amu as everyone stared at her for awhile before returning to their own thoughts and ideas.

"But I don't think Rima-tan likes romance that much," Yaya had a thoughtful look painted on her childish features as the King's and Jack's chair nodded with agreement.

The door slammed open as the hurried steps of the Queen's chair echoed throughout the Royal Garden as everyone turned to her with widened eyes, sweatdropping. She slipped into her seat smoothly; panting lightly as the other members of the Guardians watched her with a nervous look sprawled out on their face.

"Sorry I'm late, Nikaidou-sensei held me back for a little while," she glanced up at everyone's face as everyone visibly tensed up. She frowned that infamous frown of hers as the Guardians sweatdropped again, trying to re-arrange their face, keeping them blank, avoid of emotions. "Is there something you're not telling me?" she sighed with exasperation.

"Nopey-do, Rima-tan..." Yaya casted a side-way glance in Nagihiko's direction as she gave a brief wink at him. "So... Rima-tan, what do you think of sunflowers?" drawled the brunette as everyone pulled their chairs forward towards the ice queen.

"I don't really like them, they're too happy in a sense," she bluntly pointed out as Yaya's smile seemed to have died a little, turning to her cake, coughing awkwardly.

"How about the Ambrosia flower? They're unique." smiled the King's Chair, Hotori Tadase as he tried to put on his most polite and sincere look.

"I've never heard of them before," she replied curtly as Tadase's face paled slightly, slumping back into his chair with defeat.

"The rose? It's a romantic one, you know?" gulped Amu nervously. Surely, she wouldn't shoot her best friend down like the all the others...

"I hate romantic stuff," she answered blandly as the pinkette slouched forward, her head sinking onto the table as the petite young blonde eyed the Jack's chair of the Guardians suspiciously, "How 'bout you?

"Nothing..." He trailed off, beads of sweat trickling down his chin, chuckling it off nervously as everyone went back to their work with a heavy heart. Mashiro Rima was definitely a stubborn woman

---

The Guardian's meeting was finally over as everyone made a beeline for the exit of the Royal Garden, leaving Nagihiko to follow quietly and slowly, his jacinth eyes narrowing onto the concrete floor as he let out a tired sigh outwardly.

Up till now, he still didn't know what her favorite flower was... Maybe he should've just give up on this White Day thing.

"Oi, Nagihiko," called out a soft, pleasing tune as he snapped out from his thoughts, finding himself staring into the vibrant saffron eyes of the same girl which had caused him much trouble and misery. He blushed as he realized that she'd pronounced every syllabus in his name in a playful way, coughing awkwardly.

"Yes, Rima-chan?" he asked nervously, sucking on his bottom lips as he forced a smile at her.

"You still owe me one of that favors for not telling your secret," He sighed despite the smile which was tugging on his lips.

"So what do you want, Rima-chan?" She contemplated for awhile before turning her attention back to him as she regarded him silently before allowing herself the rare privilege of a smile.

"Treat me to some pastries on the way home again, would you?" He widened his eyes slightly in surprised before re-composing himself, the familiar gush of heat rushing up to his cheeks. What was she trying to imply? Was she asking him out on a date?

"Um... sure, Rima-chan," he smiled back, a genuine smile as he followed closely behind her.

---

"So..." she drawled, carelessly biting into scones they'd ordered at the cafe as he feared the worse of her questions. The only event which was coming around the corner was the one and only, dreaded White Day. "White Day's coming soon..." He cringed inwardly, trying to hide the awkwardness he was feeling as he held the scones near his mouth, chewing carefully.

"Uh, yeah," he replied evenly, his voice devoid of the nervousness he was feeling as she glanced up at him from the scone she was eating, her golden, luteous eyes holding a strange glint.

"Anyone in particular in mind?" she asked in her usual, soft and indifferent tone, sipping her hot chocolate as the warm, red hue surfaced onto his cheeks once again, his throat suddenly feeling tight and bulky.

"Well... actually, I do..." he trailed off, smoothly, smiling lightly as his eyes seemed to narrow down onto the table slightly, catching the sight of a golden, raised brow from her.

"Do I know her?" she asked, her eyes had foreign fire in them, her voice trembled lightly at the end of her sentence as he fought the urge to chuckle at this.

"Maybe..." he said enigmatically, chuckling lightly at the end, taking a gulp of his soda before averting his gaze back to her, realizing that she'd tensed up a little.

"How does she look like?" He could have sworn that he'd seen the edge of her lips twitched with annoyance but he decided to dismiss it as his over-active imagination for a thirteen-year-old.

"Well, I can't say much but she's really petite, fragile in a sense like a porcelain doll, she's really stubborn at times, and might seem indifferent and aloof but I know that deep down, she cares a lot for the people around her. The thing I liked the most about her would be beautiful golden eyes." He said in a vague tone as he watched her through the corner of his eyes, stifling a smile as she tightened her clutch on the silverware, her cheeks glowing bright red.

He kept his silence waiting for her next question but it never came. She sat in her seat, elegant and poised, her head lowered onto her plate as she ate her pastries in silent, refusing to look up at him. He smiled an amused smile to himself, looking down at his empty plate which reflected his reflection, he sighed.

"Let's go, Nagihiko," she replied simply, pushing the empty plate away, grabbing her bag under an arm as she got up from her seat while he followed suit.

While they were walking past the shops, he couldn't help but think of 'favors' she'd demanded from him. Was it a way of asking him to make his move? Or did it just mean the usual 'favor' thing he'd owed her? He could never be too sure. He found himself stopping abruptly in front of the flower shop in the shopping district as he looked through the techni-colored flowers which were arranged neatly according to their colors and type.

Up till now, he'd no idea which of the many flowers was her favorite.

Her footsteps which were far ahead of him stopped as she whirled around towards him, finally sensing the absence of his footsteps and presence behind her as she strode towards him with a quirked brow, trailing his attention to the flower shop, her eyes widening slightly as her lips settled into a small smile which he couldn't decode.

Without saying anything further, he shook his head, casually taking his role of walking beside her once again.

They walked in silence for the journey back home but for some reason, the silence was not as awkward and deafening as before. The silence had a tinge of amusement, a light carefree touch to it as he halted in front of the gates of her house.

Sparing him one last look with a smile on her face, she spoke in her usual quiet tone, "You do know that my favorite flower is the dandelion*(1) right?" The slight tease in her voice was unmistakable as his eyes widened, his mouth parting ever so slightly, flushing dark red.

And with that, she let out a soft, rare giggle, disappearing into the depths of her house, leaving a speechless Nagihiko at her doorstep.

Did she overheard the conversation he'd had with the other Guardians just now? Did she know his intentions all along? Either way, both thoughts seemed to set him in a difficult, awkward position as he slowly made his way home, pondering on the words she'd just said to him, smiling a light, blissful smile.

But during White Day, he'd given her an apple blossom*(2) flower instead, much to her playful displeasure.

* * *

**A/N: Constructive Criticism is welcomed here any day of the week; spot any mistake? Please let me know by dropping a review or a PM and I'll see to the mistake immediately. Well, when I was typing this chapter, I kind of did a lot research on flowers, here and there; so to understand this story completely, please scroll down till the end of the page ^_^ and if you still don't understand the ending, you know what to do. Anyway, the next theme shall be...**

**Clown**

**I hope you would stay tune for the next chapter of Bittersweet Days. ~Deon**

_**Dandelion*(1) — The meaning of this flower is oracle of Time and Love, Faithfulness, Happiness.**_

_**Apple Blossom*(2) — The meaning of this flower is promise.**_


	17. Clown

**Disclaimers: I do not own Shugo Chara, may the evil chocolate elves bring me away if I ever do.**

**Ratings: K+**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**A/N: Once again, thanks so much for all the support and reviews, I really mean it from the bottom of my heart. Oh wows, I'm so sorry for the late updates, I've been stuck in the world of Assassin's Creed 2 and I have to say, it's friggin' awesome and addictive that I'd almost forget about updating and practically almost everything. Almost. Anyway, back to fanfiction, this chapter is dedicated to LittlePlagueSpirit who had requested particular for this unique theme :) Please seat back and relax while I take you to another page of a Bittersweet Days. **

**Oh and for your information, here's the age chart:**

**Nagihiko— 7**

**Rima— 7 **

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regrets)_

Clown

He climbs up the steps of the 'rocket' situated in the playground near his elementary school with his backpack hanging loosely on his shoulders with his long, persian indigo hair securely tuck into his pale blue hoodie. He knows very well he shouldn't be here after school and that he should be at home, practicing his dance for his performance coming up next week but that is the least of his worries for now as he's here, in his secret place, pretty much known as a sanctuary where he can be who he wants to be and not bother about acting like a girl.

His lowers his ochre eyes onto the spot he usually sits himself at, realizing that it is being occupied by an intruder he'd never seen before. She seems to be around his age, perhaps slightly younger than him (He couldn't be too sure as she's wearing a uniform different from his) with her legs tuck into her chest and arms wrap tightly around it with her long caramel locks of hair forming a golden curtain in front of her.

Without lifting his gaze from the girl, he takes a step forward, his soft footsteps vibrates against the metallic flooring of the 'rocket hideout' as he tries to let the girl know of his presence.

The girl gives a small twitch.

It merely last for a split second but yet, he manages to catch the glimpse of an unmistakable sight of twitch and he knows very well that when a girl twitches in a 'ball' like position, she's most likely crying. Now that he thinks of it, his ears catch the faint, almost inaudible sound of sobbing.

He finds himself frowning at this, settling himself down beside the girl gingerly, lifting a hesitant hand as he narrows his amber eyes on her slightly, gently patting her shoulder, making his voice soft and gentle, "Are you okay?"

She shrugs his hand off.

"Leave me alone..." she finally speaks, in a soft, quiet melodic voice which somehow surprises him from hearing such a tune from someone so small but still, it kills him to hear a girl cry.

Though, he had never been good at gags or jokes, he knows that this would a chance for him to try.

"Um, hey look, funny face," he pulls the edge of his lips, sticking out his tongue at the girl as she raises her head by a centimeter, enough for him to catch the sight of her golden, honey eyes which matches her caramel hair.

She stifles a giggle.

He smiles.

"Better now?" she inclines her head; the darkness of topaz eyes seems to have been lifted by an inch. "So tell me, why are you sad?" he inquires, a smile flitting across his face as he hugs his knees in the same manner as the girl.

"Mama and Papa are fighting again; they've always been like this since…" She trails off, as her honey eyes which captivate most of his attention glistens with pearl-like tears, her lips forming a trembling sad frown.

"It's okay; you don't have to tell me everything." She wavers for a minute he starts to panic a little, nibbling nervously on his lips "Uh... What do you get if you cross a cow and a camel?"

She blinks at him blankly.

"A lumpy milkshake," she pouts at this, turning away from his gaze as he waves his hands in front of her nervously, "Uh, how about... I know! Do you know, it takes forty-seven muscles to frown, seventeen to smile but it doesn't take any to sit there with a dumb look on your face?"

She chokes back a giggle.

"If you always stop to smell the roses, sooner or later you'll inhale a bee." She lets out a soft, meek giggle, bringing a small fist to her lips.

"When someone annoys you it takes forty-seven muscles to frown about it but it only takes four muscles to extend your arm and punch them." And with that, a torrent of musical giggles flows out from her lips, as she blinks back tears of laughter, wrapping her arms around her stomach, laughing everything out.

He grins at her as she calms herself down from her fit of giggles.

"Thank you," she says in her quiet voice, her faint blush creeping up to her cheeks. "Why?" she asks though he isn't too sure that whether she's asking herself or not.

"What do you mean why?"

"Why are you trying to be a clown to make me laugh?" He chuckles softly at this as she casts him a strange look.

"Do you feel happy when you laugh?" he asks and she nods at him, raising her brows as he smiles at her, "Then if by being clown makes you happy, it'll make me happy too." She lifts her head at this, her innocent amber eyes widens by a few millimeters as her mouth hangs slightly apart, her cheeks had a light tint to it.

"Hm," she smiles a grateful smile to herself, averting her attention back to her toes coyly "Hey, do you read Bala-Balance?"

"Yeah, I do," He nods, grinning back at her as she beams brightly at him, getting up from her 'ball' shape abruptly.

"Good, then you should this well," She takes a deep breath, her smile still lingering on her lips as she brings her feet together, her fingers pointing to the side, "Bala-Balance!"

The boy breaks into laughter in his tiny spot he'd been sitting on as he clutches his stomach with hilarity, his chest heaving in and out as childish, boy-ish laughter escapes through his lips, tears glistening the corner of his eyes.

His laughter soon die out as he sits, staring into her custard-like eyes, a lingering smile plastering across his face as his ochre eyes seems to sparkle under the luminous, orange glow of the sun which streams in through the windows of the rocket.

"Feeling better now?" he asks in a soft, low voice; his gentleness hanging off the edge of his sentence, somehow manages to break the ice of her heart.

She smiles a grateful smile at him.

_"Thank you," _

And ever since, her dream of being a clown or a comedian was spawned by a certain stranger with ochre eyes and violet hair. Up till this very day, she's still very grateful for that boy who'd helped her find her true self. The time when she could be the happiest, with nothing holding her back, would be the time when she's a clown, when she's making others smile and laugh.

Despite the fact that she'd never seen him again after that faithful day; somehow and somewhere, she knows that she would see him again and that he shouldn't be too far away from her, right?

* * *

**A/N: Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Drop a review or a PM and I'll see to it immediately. Ah, another chapter, another sense of accomplishment. Now, for the next theme...**

**... ...**

**I'll let it be a surprise, partially due to the fact I haven't really gone ahead of time to think of a decent theme but don't fret, I'll try my very best to update as soon as I can. Please stay tune for the next chapte****r**** of Bittersweet Days. ~Deon**


	18. Dream versus Reality

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews, favorites and alerts. I have to admit, I've really been neglecting all my stories for this past week or so. I guess the inspiration had left me all too soon... But either way, I'll still update, probably slower than usual or something... I don't know. I guess, this story was inspired by how I get so caught up in my daydreams and hated how people would snap me out from it. Anyway, please seat back and relax while I take you to another page of the Bittersweet Days of Nagihiko and Rima.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Dream versus Reality

The simple definition of the word 'dream' is, something that you want to happen but that is not very likely to happen, but still, is it possible to make your dream a reality? For Fujisaki Nagihiko, a dream is just a dream and forever will be just a dream, maybe the reason for him being such a pessimist is that his dream is downright impossible to reach.

Every day, mostly in his free time, he would stare into spaces, usually thinking about trivial matters but for some reason, his thoughts always seem to steer right into _her_ with that beautiful face of hers and within seconds, he'll proceed to have an internal debate with himself.

Sometimes, his mind would drift off to how her curls seem to bounce off her back when she's having a perfect day, how her lips would curl upwards, her luteous eyes holding that sparkling gleam as she giggles that soothing, melodic tune which never fails to make his heart skip a beat or two, and how her golden, melichrous eyes would dim to a duller color of topaz whenever he tease her or got near to her dear friend, Amu.

It troubles him to wit's end whenever she looks like that; whenever she frowns, his heart strings would usually give a hard tug and his stomach would fall into the pits of oblivion as he would find himself frowning with her, fighting the urge to raise his hand to comfort her as he knows very well she would slap it away like before and he just could not risk having her to hate him further.

Every time she smiles, he smiles, and every time she shines, he'll shine for her, if that is even possible.

Ever since that day she'd asked him to treat her to some parfait on the way home, his conscience had been nagging at him at the back of his head. Is it just an infatuation, an attraction towards her? Or is it more than that? Something that crosses the line between friendship?

He would never know. After all, he's just a typical teenager with raging hormones, he can never be too sure of the feelings he feels for a certain blonde. It could be lust for all he knows.

But it couldn't be lust, can it?

No, from what he feels for her, it cannot be lust as it wouldn't explain the many times he would jump in to rescue her like a damsel in distress while he plays the role as the white knight. It wouldn't explain the many times he tries to make her laugh and smile when she's upset, despite the fact that he isn't a humorous person to start with.

Yet, he yearns to, or dreams to, hold her in his arms and never let go. To bury his head in her blonde caramel locks as he loses himself in her intoxicating raspberry scent and warmth, her delicate, slender fingers in his as he guides her through the darkest time of her life, and to see her smile that angelic smile of hers which always melts his heart in any other way.

To see her smile, which is a rare occasion, really, is happiness for him.

But to hear her giggles and laughter, that, he must admit, is bliss, like sweet heaven for him.

But all that is just a dream of his; something that he wants to happen that is not very likely to happen in a way— a hopeless, lovesick dream of his.

He had practically lost count on how many times he had wished that he could just be stuck in that dream of his and never return to reality; to be winding down the many roads of his imagination and false hopes that he could even be with her, just to escape the real word; just for a little while, so that he wouldn't need to face her with his pounding heart against his ribcage and urges to embrace her fully. Just for a little while...

If only he could live in his dreams... that, would be nice.

"Na-Nagihiko,"

The melodious tune of an angel which he recognizes from anywhere rings before him, follow by a gentle shove on his shoulder. He sighs inwardly, fluttering his ochre eyes open as his rakes his fingers through his hair, shaking his head groggily. Once again, he had been caught up with his deep thoughts and imaginations again, he shuddered. It had always been an unsaid habit of his to close his eyes whenever he's thinking deeply.

His sighs, turning his attention to the girl in front of him for the first time as he catches his breath at the sight before him.

Her head is tilted to the side, her inquisitive vegas gold eyes holding an indecipherable spark to it as her mouth parts ever so slightly, her cheeks holding a hint of pink to it and he couldn't help but ponder of the possibilities whether she's blushing due to the fact she'd thought that she'd found him 'asleep' under the maple tree at the back of the school or is it the heat.

"Yes?" he finally responds after quite some time, watching her intently as she breaks away from his gaze, shaking her head slightly as if trying to clear something out of her mind. He quirks a quick imperceptible brow at this.

"Um... Gu-Guardian meeting," she stumbles with her words, chewing on her lips as he can't help but find this side of her cute, yet amusing in a way. He regards her silently, still staring as her cheeks begin to redden, and this time, he's very sure it isn't due to the heat. He raises a brow at this as she grits her teeth with slight frustration, "_They_ sent me to find you," she mutters between gritted teeth.

"Whatever you say, Rima-chan," he shrugs casually, his voice dripping with tease as he smirks his favorite devious grin at her in which she retaliates with the twitching of her eye.

"Forget it, I'm done," she waves her hands to emphasize what she had meant, sighing an exasperated sigh, "I'm leaving, goodbye, Nagihiko," she turns to retreat hastily, bringing his heart along as he subconsciously coiled his fingers around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"Wait," Is all he could manage out as she casts him a sideway glance; silence engulfing the both of them as they find themselves staring into each other's face dumbly.

She sighs once more, shaking her head as she tries to struggle free from his grasp which he responds by tightening his grip around her wrist. Maybe, just maybe, he should at least try to make his dream a reality, just this one time. It wouldn't hurt to try, right?

Who knows, it would turn out differently than he had ever expected. He just needs to take that one last step and that would be all he need. Yes, he will try to make that seemingly impossible dream of his to reality.

He will hold her in his arms, like how he'd wished, hoped and yearned, forever and never let go.

Now, brimming with confidence and determination; in one swift movement, he gets up from the soft ground and without anything holding him back, he wraps his arms around her from the back.

Yes, he will never let go of her, now that he'd had her in his arms because,

_His dream, he will make it into reality._

* * *

**A/N: Constructive criticisms are welcomed in here; spot any mistakes? Please let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. The next theme for the next chapter will be...**

**Bubble Gum**

**Please stay tune for the next chapter of Bittersweet Days. ~Deon**


	19. Bubble Gum

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Really, thanks so much for all the kind reviews, appreciated much. I'd recently got bitten by my two hamsters and unfortunately my index finger is suffering, ouch. Typing and playing the piano seems a tad harder than usual so please forgive me of the mistakes I make in this chapter. And putting that aside, let your eyes take you away to another page of the Bittersweet Days of Nagihiko and Rima.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Bubble Gum

Rima sat in the student council room, her head resting on her palm, her fingers tapping against the table as the loud ticking of the clock seemed to resonate through her mind. She glared at her watch for the umpteenth time before sighing a defeated, exasperated sigh. She just couldn't help but feel that this was a set-up by the student council consisting of the previous King's chair, Hotori Tadase, best friends, Amu and Yaya, and lastly the senior Jack's chair, Souma Kukai.

It was already past three and they weren't here yet and the worse thing about the confinement in this council room would be having to spend every second and minute with the all-so brilliant vice-president of the student council, Fujisaki Nagihiko with his trademark devious grin, playing on his lips for the past half hour spent waiting for the rest of the student council.

She resisted the urge to groan loudly, praying hard that someone, anyone would just barge through that door just so, she wouldn't need to spend the remaining rest of her time alone with that... that... arrogant smart-ass for a vice-president. Man, how infuriating, she could just feel her cheeks burning up with just by sitting next to him.

No, she needed to calm down, why was she being so nervous in the first place? She have to relax...

And with that, she popped her favorite flavored gum into her mouth, her mind concentrating on chewing it slowly as she forced herself to pay no attention to the violet-haired boy who was sitting right beside her. She sucked in a breath, somehow she found herself getting rather wary of his intense stare, burning into the side of her skull.

She chewed on her gum, blowing up a pink bubble as she casted an imperceptible side-way glance at him through the corner of her eyes, realizing he still had that irritating smile of his and was that a hint of amusement in his eye?

No way, she knew that look of his... he's definitely up to something no good. Definitely. A hundred-and-one percent.

And before she knew it, he had his face leaning against his clenched fist, his grin growing a centimeter wider, just like how he usually did when he was proceeding with one of his cunning 'plots'.

"What are you chewing, Rima-chan?" His melodious, smooth and running voice seemed to penetrate the long, deafening silence between them as she froze, gulping deeply before resuming chewing on her gum again.

"Gum," she answered curtly, blowing up another bubble, trying to hide her discomfort with her cool and calm facade. She found him inching closer to her which somehow made the hair on her neck stand. She shuddered, his amused smirk imprinting into the side of her face.

"Oh? Hmm, what flavor is it?" She could literally feel his arm brushing against hers as she couldn't help but fidget under his gaze. Why was he sitting so close to her in the first place? Urgh.

"Strawberry," His deep, mellow chuckle rang through the council room as he raised a violet brow at her, lips curling upwards into a teasing smirk, his eyes training onto her every movement as she felt every muscle tensed in her body.

"Can I have a taste of it?"

"Nope," she replied rather bluntly. He paused; biting on his tongue and for a split second a small frown crossed his lips but was soon replaced by an amused smirk.

"Just a little?" he prompted, yet once more.

"No," she responded with a sense of finality, hoping he would just back down for awhile. He had been getting closer and closer with every word that flowed out of his mouth, and it was driving her insane.

There was a soft chuckle, soothing in a sense to her, breaking the ice of her cold heart as he got up from the table at her with those irritating ochre eyes of his which had a glint to it.

"Hmm... I bet I could have a taste of that strawberry-flavored gum of yours without using my hands,"

She let her eyes roll into the back of her head as she yawned pointedly before arching a quick brow at him, a smirk flitting across her lips, folding her arms against her chest, "Try me,"

It happened all too fast for her to comprehend. One second, she saw the flash of his trademark, irritating, devious smirk and the next second, a pair of soft lips was crushed against her own, cutting off all her thoughts as her mind went completely blank. The all-too familiar heat rushed up to her face, spreading evenly across her cheeks as she found the air around her getting stuffier and getting harder to breathe.

She was dumbfounded, flabbergasted, unable to move, shocked, stunned and somehow could not respond to the kiss, and she failed to realize his tongue entering her mouth, moving fast for the treasure it was hunting, still overwhelmed by all the emotions she was feeling at that moment.

Right, the god-damned gum.

For once, she'd finally snapped out of it. She would so, not let him get the freaking gum, oh no she would not. She would win this... this... thing, even if it cost her reputation in school. She will not lose against that dreaded Nagihiko, not this time.

It was only when he had gotten half of her gum that she began to respond, pulling him nearer roughly by his tie as she tilted her head, leaning towards him for a better access of his mouth, trying to regain back the other half of the gum, wrestling with his tongue for it.

She felt him cradling her cheeks, moving closer to her, his tongue defending the stolen piece of gum whilst trying to gain the other half from her. She gasped at his sudden, unexpected movement as he sought this as his chance, his tongue lunging forward, grabbing the other half of the gum before retreating back to his cave.

His lips lingered over her lips, nipping at it gently for a minute or two before he broke away from her, chewing on her supposed gum triumphantly, an amused smile evident on his lips.

"It really does taste good..." He blew up a pink bubble as she glowered at him darkly, her face turning dark crimson right up to her hair roots. He casted her his favorite smile, eyes perpetually closed, still chewing on the gum, "But then again, it doesn't taste half as good as how your lips had tasted," he winked at her, licking his lips, deepening her blush if that was even possible.

And ever since then, she had made it a note to never eat gum in front of Fujisaki Nagihiko, for the outcome can be rather... unexpected.

* * *

**A/N: Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistake? Leave a review or reply and I'll see to it immediately. Ah, something different for a change. Now, take that full on fluff right in your face! How does it feel? Warm and fluffy? I hope so; well the next theme for the next chapter is...**

**Sleep**

**I hope you would continue to stay tune for the next chapter of Bittersweet Days. I'd better start work on the christmas theme xD. ~Deon**


	20. Sleep

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Whee! Thanks so much for all the reviews and support, favorites and alerts, really grateful for them. For once I'm actually glad that I'd written most of my stories in advance, most of the wounds on my fingers have healed, except for my thumb which thankfully does not have a significant role when it comes to typing. I guess after this, I'm back in action again and I swear to never touch those rotten hamsters ever again. Anyway, please sit back and relax; let me take you to one of the Bittersweet Days of Nagihiko and Rima. **

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Bella Notte [Beautiful Night]

She fluttered her eyes open groggily, her fingers creeping to her aching, bandaged forehead as she stiffled a groan, her tired aurulent eyes scanning her environment wearily. The room was pitched black with the exception of the gentle moonbeams filtering through the window beside her, dimly lighting up the contents of the room. She sighed, slightly relieved, glad to know that she had not lost her sense of sight or anything due to the bad fall she had had hours ago.

She gulped, her throat feeling slightly bare and dry. Where was she...? Right, she was in one of the wards... that would explain the nauseating scent of antiseptic. She wrinkled her nose in disdain.

She turned towards the right and for the first time, she'd realized a warm, smooth and all-too familiar hand in hers. She felt a smile creeping up to her lips as she let out a contented sigh, closing her eyes hoping the sleep would hit her again but she knew that deep down, it probably would not happen that easily.

For the past few nights, before the massive fall that had happened to her which had costed her a fracture leg and left arm, a mild concussion and some scratches here and there, she hadn't been able to sleep and even when she did, she would have those dreamless sleep which only made her more lethargic during the day, much to a discontent.

She shifted fidgetly in the bed as a sharp intake of breath sounded from the boy who was sitting (or sleeping) by her bed side patiently waiting for her to wake.

"You're awake..." He sounded tired, his smooth, melodious voice sounded rough and gruff due to the lack of sleep which made her frown subconsciously. "How're you feeling, Rima?" He coughed, trying to get rid of the gruffiness in his voice as he leaned forward, placing a gentle hand on her forehead, she could feel his warm, dense breath carressing the side of her face.

A shiver was sent down her spine as his skin made contact with hers. Up till now, she still hadn't got used to the effect he had on her and probably never will. She smiled lightly, though knowing that he would not be able to see her smile, glad to know that he still cared for her.

"What do you think?" He chuckled her favorite chuckle despite the evident hoarseness in it; yet, she still couldn't help but smile at it.

"You're looking real bad in shape but I'm guessing for now that you're having trouble sleeping?" She could literally hear him, raising his violet brow with that teasing, playful grin flitting across his full, pink and alluring lips.

"You still read me like a book, even now,"

He chuckled once more, his voice sounded less strained than usual, recovering of it's usual smoothness. Truth to be said, with many twists and turns of events, they had been dating for the past six to seven months. Though it had turned out way differently than she had ever imagined, she had to admit that she's happy that it was him and not some other guy she didn't know.

"Hmm, what should we do then, Rima?" She pouted playfully at this despite the darkness surrounding them, she knew that he'd probably knew her well enough to know that she was pouting anyway. He knew that she hated it whenever he teased her like that yet, he'd said before that he liked her that way.

"Shut up, Nagihiko," She reached out in the blurry darkness as she aimed a playful punch on his shoulder, but before her knuckles could even land on his skin, she had let out a painful cry and sunk back onto the bed.

"You're alright?" came his concerned reply, his hand gently holding her shoulder as she sucked in a deep breath. Did she mentioned that she had an ugly, ginormous bruise on her chest which always stung whenever she tried getting up?

"Of course..." she croaked, forcing a smile at him despite the crawling darkness around them. He responded with a light brush of her hair, tucking it behind her ear as he planted a soft, affectionate kiss on her forehead.

"I'm glad..." He mumbled softly, tousling her hair before withdrawing himself back into his chair, sighing softly to himself, "Well then... how are we suppose to solve that problem of yours,_ Rima_?" She shuddered inwardly at the obvious tease in his voice as he let out an amused chuckle before the much-hated silence filled the air.

She could tell that he was probably pondering, thinking on how he could help her sleep as she imagined him chewing on his lips with a finger carelessly wrapped around his chin. She smiled. She had never been happier in her life when she'd started going out with him.

The distinct sound of ruffling sheets jolted her out of her thoughts as her attention was immediately turned towards the lukewarm presence mixed with the strong fragrance of cherry blossom.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she stuttered, slightly alarmed by his actions. She could feel his long, velvet violet hair tickling the side of her face, his breathing seemed to echo throughout her mind— even and slow. The familiar heat rushed up to her cheeks once again as his silky, delicate hand snaking around her fragile waist, his head resting on the top of her head.

"Helping you sleep, of course." he answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world but it didn't stop her from arguing further.

"But-"

"You worry too much, Rima," A chuckle hung at the end of his sentence, "The nurses and your parents will never find me in your hospital bed the next morning, I swear," He assured her in that soothing voice of his which never failed to calm her nerves.

She sighed a defeated sigh, closing her eyes, breathing in his alluring scent of cherry blossom, letting the cosy warmth he'd usually emanated consume her entire being as she listened attentively to his rhythmic heartbeats, thudding against her back, her lips curling upwards into a small, genuine smile.

"Hey, Nagihiko?" She tilted her head back slightly, catching the glimpse of his beautiful, gorgeous ochre eyes she'd fell head over heels with.

"Hm?" He asked, his bright amber eyes still held that innocent glint and that loving spark as her smile grew an inch wider than before.

"I love you," There was a soft, nearly inaudible gasp from him as her words sunk into him, a smile flitting across his lips, his ochre eyes glowing warmly in the darkness, his arms tightening around her waist.

"I love you too, Rima,"

And that night, she had the sweetest, most fufilling sleep she ever had in days, even though it happened in a hospital ward. But the thing was, she'd fell asleep right in his arms, where she belong.

* * *

A/N: **Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. Alright, I guess it's time to announce the christmas theme for the next chapter.**

**Santa Baby**

**And yes, the next chapter will be based on a christmas song called Santa Baby. If you want spoilers for the next chapter, you can go ahead and listen to it, they'll be hints on what the next chapter will be about ;). **

**I hope you'll stay tune for the next chapter, till next time. ~Deon**


	21. Christmas Theme: Santa Baby

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Really, thank you so much for all the reviews and favorites, totally made my day. I have no idea why but my body keeps failing me over again and again. First my fingers, now my eyes... they're really sore right now, I can't stare at the screen for ten seconds without my eyes going all watery and painful. I have no idea how it got this way, so don't ask. I guess after this chapter, I'm most probably going on hiatus until my eyes get less sore. Let me take you to another page of a Bittersweet Day of Nagihiko and Rima. **

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Santa Baby

Nagihiko let out a lethargic yawn as he sneaked a peek through the small gap of the door, a small smile flitting across his face. There they were, lying on their bed peacefully with their dark, violet hair were spreaded out in every corner, a contented expression on their faces as they snuggled up to their soft, fluffy pillows. Their golden, melichrous eyes were shut tight for once. They always seemed more peaceful and calm when they were asleep, just like little angels, he chuckled softly.

"Are they asleep yet?"

He whirled around to face his beautiful loving wife, a smile sprawled out on his lips as he brought a slender finger to his lips in a slight teasing manner, watching how his wife's expression change in the mere second of teasing her. She pouted that adorable, cute pout he'd loved as he raised his hands in defeat, an amused smile still lingering around.

"I'll take that as a yes then, Nagihiko,"

He chuckled softly, still not speaking as he flipped the switch to the kids' room off, twisting the brass knob slowly and gently, closing the door with a faint thud before staring down as his wife with both brows raised in a plausible imitation of innocence.

She glowered darkly at him and he knew very well that she hated the silence he was giving her, but he just can't help but watch her amusing reactions.

"Speak, or you'll get it,"

His eyes widened slightly, a gasp escaping his lips as he gulped, shooting a worried glance at his toes, then back at his beautiful wife with a sigh, "Fine, Rima..." He muttered softly, rolling his eyes as a small smile crossed her full, pink lips, hands on her hips.

"Good, now let's get back to work," She turned him around towards the stairs of their decent-sized house, gently pushing him down the stairs in a playful manner.

"Work?" There was an evident groan behind him as he shot her a side-way glance, quirking a quick violet brow at her.

"The presents you have to get for tommorow, remember?" she asked mockingly, rolling her eyes into the back of her head as he frowned at this. Gosh, did he hated how she treated him like a two-year old at times. His feet touched the last steps of the stairs as he hopped down onto the floor, while his beloved wife of his slipped her fingers into his, tugging him away to the living room.

Realizing something was wrong, she paused in her steps, observing him for a second, stifling the urge to smile as she stood on tip toes, patting him on his head like a small child. "if you want to be a baby, I'll treat you like one, Nagihiko," He grumbled incoherently as she let out a soft, soothing giggle, pecking him lightly on his cheek.

"Fine..." he drawled as she let out another giggle before resuming her tracks, leading him to their comfy living room, her golden locks of hair whisking behind her.

He dropped himself into the couch with a soft sigh as the woman of the house did the same. He placed a delicate hand on her shoulder affectionately as she leaned forward, picking up the piece of flimsy sheet of paper, scanning the neat and tidy handwrittings thoroughly, a playful smile tugging on her lips.

"Okay... what do we have here?" Nagihiko tilted his head towards her, stealing a glance at the list she was holding onto. "Hmm... Temari wants a new fan, gag books and a new pair of sneakers," she arched a golden brow at the last part, before turning towards him for comfirmation.

"She'd said she wanted new sneakers for christmas." It came off more like a statement than a question. He could sense the disbelief and amusement in her voice as he resisted the urge to chuckle.

"Yeah, for once, there isn't dolls," he joked as Rima let out a giggle, a fist brought near to her mouth.

"Exactly, now lets see what Rhythm wants for christmas." And yes, uncannily, they had twins about seven years ago, coincidentally, it was a boy and a girl, and to remind themselves of their dear Guardian Characters, they'd decided to name the twins after them. Usually, he would chuckle at the memory of how she'd initially wanted to call their daughter Kusu-Kusu, but figured out that it wouldn't be a good name after all, so they settled for Temari and Rhythm, much to his wife displeasure. "He wants a basketball... more books and more games, you got that all down?"

"Yup," He grinned, looking up at the ceiling boards as he stretched his legs out comfortably. She shot him a pointed stare before punching him lightly on his shoulder, "What? I really got that all down, I swear." She snorted, rolling her eyes again, placing her head on his shoulder, letting out a contented sigh.

"What do you want for christmas, Rima? Maybe Santa could have it delivered to you,"

He'd regretted what he'd said as soon as the words made their way out of his mouth. She flashed him a look, a mischievous glint, he'd recognized, sparkled in her gorgeous honey eyes as her lips took a form of a devious smile. And he thought he was the only one who could pull that off...

He gulped.

"Oh, what I want... " she trailed off, pondering as she tapped her fingers on her chin, contemplating. He could see the gears working in her head. She was sure to give him a very hard time, that's for sure. "Oh, I'm sure that Santa baby wouldn't mind a '54 convertible, light blue, will he? I mean it's not a lot..." she trailed up, a finger tapping against her chin contemplatively.

He could feel the cold sweat snaking down his chin as looked down upon his all-too calculative, yet endearing wife, forcing a smile at her, "A light blue convertible, huh? Kind of big for a present, don't you think?"

"Maybe..." she drawled carelessly, as he felt his stomach lurched, she's still up to something, he's positively sure of it, "Hmm... and I really, really wish that Santa baby could send me a yacht and really that's not a lot since I've been good all year so I think I deserve better, don't ya' think?" she winked up at him as he gulped once more, he could feel himself going pale and his throat going dry. She's losing it... definitely. He'd totally shouldn't have asked that question in the first place.

"A yacht?" he nearly squeaked, coughing lightly to regain the smoothness of his voice, "Seriously, I don't think that Santa could find that much wrapping paper to wrap it all up," She merely flashed him a knowing smirk before returning to her contemplation. He can't believe there was more of what she'd wanted.

"Oh, and Santa, honey, I forgot to mention one little thing, a ring. And I don't mean on the phone, my sweet Santa baby," she giggled lightly at his expression with slightly arched brows, "Is that small enough now?"

He forced a chuckle at her, sweat-dropping, "Maybe..." A ring, huh? That... he could think about, "How about something smaller?" She raised a brow at him, a smile still evident on her lips, but was soon wiped off as he swooped down, crushing his lips over hers passionately, fusing their lips together, his hands finding it's way to her fragile waist, her fingers raking through his velvet, violet hair before he broke away from her after a minute or two, "I love you, Rima," He rubbed his forehead against hers, a blush surfacing on her creamy cheeks.

"I guess... a kiss is acceptable after all," She leaned forward, her slender fingers sliding down to his neck as she kissed his jawline, whispering softly into his ear, "But.. I still want my-" He didn't let her finish as he jammed his lips over hers, bringing her to another kiss all over again.

Maybe... just maybe... he would get her that ring after all, just to make her happy.

Or not.

* * *

**A/N:** **Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. I'm just going to keep today's author note rather short, 'cause my eyes are friggin' killing me and because of that, I haven't written any chapters in advance; with no inspiration hitting me, I'll probably get nothing much in return... so we'll have to wait and see for the next theme for the next chapter. ~Deon**


	22. Book

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Whoa, finally updated this chapter, never thought that I'd actually managed to; anyway, many thanks to those who'd favorited, reviewed, alerted, really appreciate it. I'm just going to keep it short here as there will probably be a longer one at the bottom. So, let me take you to one of the Bittersweet Days of Nagihiko and Rima.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Book

Reading a book has always been repetitive habit of a certain long-haired Fujisaki heir. Ninety-nine-percent of the time, he's seen with a book with the exception of dancing and shooting through hoops. If he's not seen with it on regular days, it would be most likely be hidden in his bag. Books to him is a symbol of knowledge, without them he wouldn't be educated, and without being educated he would most likely join the parade of those hobos sitting along the side-walks with a cup in hand, hoping for spare change from passer-bys.

Thus, books naturally mean a great deal to him.

He reads.

He contemplates.

He comprehends.

Then, he learns.

It's real simple cycle, really; but sometimes, there are many a time when he reads, not just to learn about the secrets lying within, but to get him distracted in a way. For example when he sees a certain spiky red-head by the name of Kirishima what's-his-face? Fuyuki or something, speaking, smiling, chuckling with a certain blonde which he pays much attention to, imperceptibly of course.

But it saddens him to the pits of oblivion that whenever he tries to show that he cares, or to reveal a tiny spark of emotions he feels for her, she would always bite him back in the ass, regardless of anything, whether he was saving her from a freaking x-egg like a damsel in distress or helping her out with her homework. She would always... always, find a way to get back at him.

Like... the parfait treat thingy... helping her with the cake incident... any others which he couldn't be bothered to be reminded of again. If only the female's mind is less complicated... Take a book for example, he reads, he understands unlike that certain blonde. He talks, she replies tersely. He helps her, she turn him down. He tries to understand her; she brings up her mental shields. Sometimes, he would sit there in his seat of the Royal Garden and think.

What the hell is she thinking?

What the heck is going through the skull of hers?

What if he knows what she's thinking, would it be easier?

What if she's simple to read, like a book? Would that change anything?

There were so many times— almost uncountable— he'd wanted to just shout out at her, "What the hell are you trying to say, woman? Be more specific, it's getting tiring for me!"

But he wouldn't dare to do so, as unpredictable she could be, she'll most likely slap him in the face just be voicing out his thoughts. One thing he'd learnt from his parents is that, women don't like to be called by their given generic name, woman, and his father learnt it the hard way that night.

Of course, it would definitely be nice if he could have a peek into her mind, but... that would take away the sense of challenge for him. No, it's not like he's not serious with her... it's just that the root of all his feelings came from her difficult personality and how he'd wanted to get to know her better.

If he would to be able to read her like a book, he wouldn't have fallen head over heels for her in the first place. Everything in that equation has to be re-written and he would have just seen her as a normal friend, he wouldn't even bother to take initiatives.

It only happened because she was more than a book, that caught his interest in the first place, and now she knew his secret, it made her more unpredictable than ever and he's glad because of that. That she's different than average girl with a stubborn, spoiled attitude. The thought of living with her, made it a whole lot fun and exciting than before.

And he likes her because of that.

"Hey, Nagihiko," she calls out across the table in a sing-song tune, hands cupping over her lips to put in an effect, golden eyes looking glaze over. His head shoots up at her, snapping out of his thoughts and debates, quirking a quick violet brow as he realizes for the first time that every pair of eyes in the Royal Garden was training onto him, making him fidget with discomfort.

"Yes, Rima-chan?" She remains impassive, expression still looking bored than ever but for some reason, he could see the gears working in her head as contemplates, eyes still staring deeply into his.

"We've been calling your name for twenty times," she states a brusque and blunt manner as he widens his eyes with slight amusement, lips curling into an upward smile. "What the hell are you thinking, Nagihiko?" At that inquiry, he find his smile stretching wider across his face as the blonde raises a curious, amuse brow.

"I'm just thinking books, Rima-chan,"

* * *

A/N: **Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. Right, first things first, just to let you all know, Bittersweet Days would be set in hibernation mode and would be place in hiatus for the time being. No, it's not because I'm lacking of ideas and inspiration, it's just that I feel that I'm sort of neglecting my two other on-going stories and once I'm sort out of that, Bittersweet Days would be back in action.**

**While, with the hiatus of Bittersweet Days, it'll give me time to think of other themes and ideas so I just want to get some feedback from you guys that if I should write more on angst or fluff, or should I just balance it out. Just wondering, but out of the 22 chapters, which are you favorites? Let me know in your review, cheers. ;) ~Deon**


	23. Ash

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews, feedback, favorites and alerts, up till date, I haven't found a way to repay you guys yet, but this is as much as I could do. I know, I know, I said that this story's going to be on hiatus for a very long time, but today would be an exception for a particular special occasion which I'm not telling ;). Anyway, please sit back, relax and let me take you to another bittersweet day of Nagihiko and Rima.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Ash

A man with neatly clipped dark, violet hair, skin fair as the first snow in winter, stands by the shore of the sea. His amber eyes are dark and sullen, like a piece of ochre which had long lost its gleam and is forever left dull and blunt. Crystal-like tears glisten the corners of his grave light hazel eyes as he inhales deeply the scent of salty sea breeze, holding his tears back while his lips form a trembling frown. Still, he refuses to drop a single tear.

He sinks his teeth into his full, rosy lips, his tongue catching the evident taste of copper-salt causing him to cringe ever so slightly, shivering as the chilly sea breeze hit him again. He'd promised her that he wouldn't cry, yet, sometimes it's just too hard for him to do so with the sadness and bitter growing in his heart.

He hugs the jar of urn protectively in his arms as another blast of cool salty air brushes against his skin once more, wrapping around him like a silky piece of veil. He'd protect her; he'd sworn to do so and would continue to, even in death. He takes in a deep breath, expecting to catch the strong scent of salt, but for some reason, he catches her sweet scent of raspberry instead.

He dies a little inside as he whips around, half-hoping to catch the usual flash of her golden locks and her petite figure, but much to his utter disappointment, all he see is the many passer-by walking past him in a quick, brisk manner, totally ignoring his existence.

He stares down at the pale jar of urn as fond, blissful memories flood his mind, washing through him thoroughly with a small, wistful smile flitting across his lips in a delicate, wavering manner. The smiles and laughter they'd shared together, the heart-warming embrace under the soft glow of the moonlight, her soft, slender fingers fitted securely in the gaps of his fingers and the soft, warm kisses they had. They were all gone. All of them. Erased from existence. Gone. Taken away by the disease she had.

He still remembers vividly that she was strapped to many pieces of wire in her last moment of life, a machine which pumped the essence of life into her, keeping her alive painfully— a painful sight for him. Every time he entered through the door of that small, confined room of the hospital ward, his eyes would inevitably meet her broken, frail form, lying on the white hospital bed. Her creamy, fair skin which always emanated a warm glow was a deathly, sick pale and she seemed to have lost weight, shrinking her further, making her petite and fragile than ever— just like a piece of glass.

But the most unbearable thing was her eyes, her golden honey eyes... Even though they were tired and listless, they still had that spark— the spark of hope— in them which only brewed up the sympathy and sorrow in him. Every time she tried to smile, he could tell that she was always in constant pain. His heart broke at the pitiful sight of her— the woman he loved.

That cursed disease— leukemia— he'd never thought it would occur to anyone he'd loved. Especially not to her, of course. He'd tried his best. His very best and he failed terribly. They couldn't find a donor and her blood type didn't match his own so the doctors tried their best to keep her alive with the help with the current day technology by the use of machines.

And despite all that, he knew that the technology could only prolonged her time but still, it could not prevent the inevitable. Even in her final moments, she was still smiling. Smiling for him and assuring that she was no longer in pain despite the oxygen mask which was placed over her quivering mouth as every breath she took condensed onto the plastic.

When her eyes finally closed for last and final time, he found that part of him was dragged along with her. A part of him was gone forever. He'd remembered the emptiness he'd felt at her departure, the blank hollowness in his heart. Everything in his world started to grow dull and soon, he felt like he was living in a black and white world where everything just whizzed past him. For days, he was turned into a living zombie, with his ochre eyes looking glazed over, his face held only the one expression he had,— a blank mask— her final words chanting in his mind like a mantra, refusing to fade away into the blank of nothingness.

_"Move on, Nagihiko... Don't wait for me..."_

And of course, since it was her last words, he'd obeyed them without any qualms, he'd moved on. By doing so, he'd snipped off his long, flowing hair that day and threw away his dreams of being a dancer. As he watched his violet, indigo hair sank to the ground, the snippets of the memory they'd shared together fell with it. He had made up his mind. He was going to leave the past behind him and start afresh.

When he'd returned home that day, he'd never forget the shocked, angry faces of his parents and the disgusted look his relatives casted at him. He knew from that day on, he'd became an outcast of his family— a disgrace— so he stayed no longer, he'd packed up his bags and left that day without another word, starting a whole new life with only his close friends knowing his whereabouts.

He exhales deeply, with the strong ocean breeze blowing right at him, he uncapped the jar of urn with a wavering hand as the faint white, dusty ash flowed out, floating out of the jar of urn, mixing with the salty air. He knows, she'd said it before that she would want to be free and not to be confined in four tight walls so he'd refused the fact that she had to be buried and instead, he opted for a cremation.

Now, she's going to be free. Away from the sorrows, the cruel world and the pain. She's at a better place now, he knows, and that she would be waiting for him when his time finally comes so he whispers in a wispy, whispery tone into the wind, letting a single tear fall as he knows that this would be the last and final time he would be saying this,

_'I love you and I forever will...'_

* * *

**A/N: Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. If you're thinking that Bittersweet Days is out of hiatus, you're terribly, solely wrong. This would be the last update you'll probably see from me in a very, very long time. School just started for me apparently, and I've been posted to the most troublesome class with the longest curriculum schedule among the other classes and no, I'm not the weakest link. I'll be in hiatus, with some random updates popping up time to time, but not soon. That's all for now, in the mean time, stay safe, be healthy and please stay tune for the next chapter of Bittersweet Days (or not). —Deon**


	24. Letting Go

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: One-sided Rimahiko, hints of Rimase**

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all the support, which also includes, reviews, favorites and alerts. Remembered everything I've said about putting this collection into hiatus? Yup, screw everything I've said before. I actually just realized that this is the only story I've been keeping alive and actually managed to have some inspiration. Yes, I'm that pathetic, really, but I hope you would enjoy this chapter of a Bittersweet Days. **

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Letting Go

He watches from the pews of the chapel with a grim, solemn look masks with the facade of happiness for the young, fair blonde who is cloaked in a beautiful white dress that anyone had set their eyes upon— the best there is, they say— with a thin, silky translucent fabric hanging loosely over her wavy, caramel locks which are restrained in an elegant bun, a small bouquet of orange blossom that fits securely in her hands and with every step she takes towards the man with slightly ruffled-up golden hair and gentle magenta eyes which sparkle back at her, Nagihiko feels his heart slowly shattering into a million pieces. No, scratch that, an infinite amount of broken pieces.

He holds himself up firmly; dull, listless ochre eyes trailing her petite figure despite the fact that many years have passed, she will forever be that fragile and delicate girl in his eyes. He forces himself to grin brightly at her as she passes him, along with the other ex-guardians, and for a split second, her head tilts towards his direction, a small smile flitting across her full, rosy lips, the golden pools of her melichrous eyes glittering under the soft sunlight which streams in through the windows of the chapel. His heart gives a twisted pump when he realizes that she isn't looking at him but at the pinkette standing behind him.

He gulps deeply, his stomach turning into knots as she whisks by him, leaving a faint trail of her sweet scent of raspberries. He had no idea if he's supposed to be more upset by the fact that she is getting married to the ex-King's chair of the Guardians or that the happiness which shines brightly in her honey eyes is overbearingly glaring to his eyes, but either way, his heart is still breaking.

When the bride finally reaches the smartly-dressed groom, everyone sinks back down into their seats, anticipating the next part of the wedding, and it is only until then, when his face blends in with the numerous amount of guest's, that he allows himself the privilege to frown, to hold back his tears of agony and bitterness.

He balls up his fists, wrinkling his violet brows, lowering his head as his long Persian indigo hair fell against his lap. He couldn't watch the ceremony. He just can't. He's afraid that if he'd watch the part when she says the two words that bind both man and woman into an inseparable bond, he'll lose himself or even lose his place as a friend. With every second ticking by, he could feel that uncomfortable lump in his throat growing bigger and bigger that he finds it hard to swallow down his saliva with the dreaded tears slowly creeping up the surface.

It is getting harder for him to just stand by and watch with the pain and sorrow brewing up inside of him. He's so sure that by the end of the ceremony, he would officially lose his sanity. Why'd did he come in the first place? If he'd known the pain he had to undergo, he would have just torn that piece of flimsy paper away. But then again... it had been her, who had invited him. No, it didn't include the groom's name at all. She, herself, had invited him to the wedding.

And here he is, watching the woman he'd loved dearly since Middle School getting married to his once best friend. If only he didn't hold his feelings back so much, if only he stopped thinking about the consequences, if only he'd let his defenses down for once... maybe... just maybe, he would be the one standing there right now and not the man whom he'd secretly despised.

He'd loved her with all his heart.

_Loved her..._

A single drop of tear stains his lap as he widens his eyes by a millimeter before closing them in acceptance and resignation, a wistful smile crossing his lips as he raises his head towards the couple before him, shaking his head as he pulls himself up with a soft sigh, making his way for the exit, sure that no one would probably notice his absence, not even her.

He stands by the exit, with the cold breeze brushing against his face, taking one deep breath; he leaves the chapel and the couple once and for all.

_For once, he's just going to try to let go and to leave it like this, because,_

_he had loved her._

* * *

**A/N:** **Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. Even if this story is not going to be on hiatus, updates won't be just as frequent probably once every week or even fortnightly. The next theme shall be...**

**There**

**I hope you would stay tune for the next chapter of A Bittersweet Days. — Deon**


	25. There

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**Warning: Suicidal hints!**

**A/N: Thanks for all the past reviews and support. Please, don't kill me for such a short chapter, but I just can't really find the time to sit down and write a full complete one-shot, so a drabble it will be for now. I promise that the next chapter will be a much longer one. Definitely a one-shot. Now, let me take you to another Bittersweet Day of Rima and Nagihiko...  
**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

There ( hush, don't cry )

A drip of water, hitting the cold bathroom floor.

Frantic cries and a voice, which somehow felt familiar.

A face, which never failed to make her heart beat faster, but not today.

A tear, not her own, snaked down her cheek as the warmth from the tear made her skin tingle pleasantly with delight.

Warmth and comfort. Something she had not experienced for a long time. With her vision, already clouding her eyes with the sound of cries and sobs of despair growing dimmer by the second, she knew that this would be the last thing she would ever feel and hear before the awaiting darkness which was starting loom over her.

Yes, the darkness, which she welcomed so very willingly that consumed her hungrily like a predator which finally hunted down it's prey.

But, one thing she understood in her final moments, which made her pale sickly lips curled up into a genuine smile that she had not smile for aeons was that, he was always there. Always by her side with that gentle smile and ochre eyes of his, not to mention his long, violet hair which she sometimes loved to imagine running her fingers through it, even when he knew that she couldnt be saved,

_He was always there. _

* * *

**A/N**: **Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. The next theme will be...**

**Metamorphosis**

**An interesting theme isn't it? Yes... I've got plenty of ideas for this one -cues evil laughter- Please stay tune for the next chapter of a Bittersweet Days.  
**


	26. Metamorphosis

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Whee~ Thank you everyone for the support and encouraging words. And this is why I always love the weekends because, it's speed writing time before the short weekend flys away. I'm just going to write as much as I can before the short-lived weekend finally ends. And without further ado, welcome to another Bittersweet Day of Nagihiko and Rima.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Metamorphosis — ( The changes in their lives )

_Larvae Stage:_

It all starts out with an introduction; an envious glare, a facade, a retort and a quick, witty come-back. Both parties are so entirely sure that nothing would ever come between them with each other's flaws and imperfection shining glaringly back at each other. Just the mention of either of their names in a casual conversation would send the other's blood boiling with rage.

At the sight of the familiar petite figure and the flash of gold, he would quickly swipe his gentle mask off to that of a rather, teasing and assertive one. His teasing smirks and devious grin would take a more frequent appearance at her very presence.

Whilst for the other; the bluntness of her voice increases by a hundred times as more sarcastic and crude comments start spewing out of her mouth, shooting down at every word that escapes his lips in which he would just flash her his favorite trademark mirthful smile before countering back skillfully with an intelligent, causing her to twitch uncontrollably with anger.

_Pupa Stage:_

Both parties currently have mutual understandings for each other up to a certain standard; however, they do not dislike each other nor do they like each other. Their relationship is caught somewhere in between the awkward middle. They understands each other's reason for putting on a facade or a persona and most of all, they feel sorry for one another.

His teases and wry remarks seem to have worn down a little and his smiles he shoots at her are more genuine with tender emotions buried deep in them. His ochre eyes are only dull and listless at her absence and being in the same room as her causes his them to sparkle brightly with anticipation and happiness. Her giggles which starts to sound more and more like a soft, beautiful melody sends an unfamiliar tingle down his spine, but he appears to be unaffected by it. He finds himself getting more and more caught up with staring at her, watching her flick her golden locks behind her back or how her golden, melichrous eyes blink and glitter under the sunlight.

Her cold stares and glares have managed to die down and her icy attitude towards him has gotten a wee warmer than how they'd first started out. Sardonic and cynical words seem to have ceased and she begins to think before she act, to think of his feelings before she say something that might actually hurt his feelings. She starts to notice his more feminine chiseled features and sort of find him 'beautiful' in a way she would never admit. And the more she stares at his long, silky violet hair, the urge of feeling the long strands of persian indigo hair seeping through her fingers grows more and more. His chuckles are beginning to tug on her delicate heart strings, but she doesn't appear to be affected by it.

But either way, they'd settled for an awkward friendship between themselves.

_Mature Stage:_

Both girl and boy are completely aware of their growing feelings for each other; however, none are able to admit it. Whether or not if it's their sheepishness or their pride is keeping them back, neither is willing to confess how they feel for each other. Just by the mention of either's name in a typical, casual conversation would send the other's cheek to redville or even send themselves to stutterville, and just by the accidental contact of one another's skin would cause their skin to tingle pleasantly.

He is now unable to stop thinking of her and with every conversation he has, he'll always mention her in them subconsciously. The warm gush of heat that frequently rises up to his cheek is seemingly uncountable with the uncontrollable desire of trailing a finger down her creamy cheek driving him crazy. When she cries, he wants to cry with her and to hold her in his arms, and when she's jumping for joy, he wants to share it with her with that beautiful smile of hers plaster across her face.

He loves her, but what's holding him back?

As must she hates to admit this, she has taken up a 'bad' habit of staring at him during class or even when he's talking. All of a sudden, the way he moves his lips, the way his lips would curl and how his warm chuckle seem to brighten the world a little seem so fascinating to her. Sometimes, she even had to stop herself before she'd actually run her finger through his long strands of violet hair. Despite the fact that she'd treated him better than before, she still could not kick her habit of treating him coldly and hopes that he does not take it to heart.

She loves him, but what's holding her back?

_The Complete Metamorphosis:_

_"I love you!"_

He doesn't really notice what he'd just blurted out, until the widening of her honey amber eyes and the extremely familiar wave of hot pink washing her creamy cheeks, with the deafening, awkward silence which claims the space between them. The only sound is probably their heavy breathing, trying to catch their breaths from their loud screams and retorts of their very heated argument, as per usual, with the exception, that one had finally admitted his feelings for the other.

Now, how had they gotten into this state?

It all started out with him catching the giggles, which clearly belonged to her, aimed directly at a certain red-head by the name of Kirishima Fuyuki. With the sight of her giggling at his pathetic joke, he went green of envy and jealousy, increasing the level of his teases and taunts till they went all out on each other, which soon resulted into them proceeding to scream their heads off at each other until that three words escaped from his lips, piercing through every criticism, killing off all signs of anger.

"Wh-what, did you just say?" she asks, not bothering to hide the sense of incredulity in her voice. He gulps, unable to comprehend the expression which is taking form on her face. He had no idea if she's mad angry, confuse... happy?

He narrows his ochre eyes into the pools of her amber pools. As soon as he realizes that spark of happiness in her eyes, it disappears as abruptly as it had appeared, her eyes reverting back to a blank mask— unreadable like always.

He closes his eyes momentarily, lowering his head side-ways in defeat as a weary sigh escapes from his parted lips before re-opening them to meet her golden gaze. Licking his dry lips, he speaks in a low, rather wistful tone, "I said I was sorry," clutching onto the strap of his bag pack hanging loosely on his shoulder as he turns his back on her, getting ready to leave until her voice, like sweet melody, flows into his ears.

"Hey—" She holds onto the sleeves of the dark, coal coat of his high-school uniform. "Where are you going?"

"Home," He shakes her off rather brusquely, trying to make his exit simple and fluid but turns out, the blonde refuses to let him do so.

"No— Wait— You haven't heard what I have to say yet," He casts a side-way glance in her direction, before turning to face her with an exasperated sigh, shoulders sagging.

"Yes, I know I'm an insensitive jerk or a cross-dressing freak or a smart-ass for a vice-president of the student council. I get it, Rima-chan," With every word that spewed out of his mouth, rage begins to build itself steadily deep inside of him as she wrestles to grab him but to no avail, he's as slippery as slime, slipping out from every lunge of hers to stop him from leaving.

"You idiot, I love you too!"

With a hitch gasp, stuck in his throat, he turns towards the girl with long golden locks who look just as shock as he is, but it is only until then, that their shock turns into acceptance, then, into happiness and bliss with a smile stretching across one another's face.

_And this is the metamorphosis of their relationship._

* * *

**A/N:** **Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. It's finally done! I hope you guys enjoyed this unique chapter as much as I enjoyed writing this. The next theme would be...**

**Pain**

**Is it me or have I been on an overdose of angst recently? Happy thoughts just seem to flutter away and here comes all the sad, emotional ones. How, depresssing. Well, five guesses to who would be the one in pain and who would be the one stuck in ignorance and bliss? Please stay tune for the next chapter of Bittersweet Days. —Deon **


	27. Pain

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: One-side-ish Rimahiko, hints of Amuhiko.**

**A/N: Hey all, thanks for all the reviews, favorites and etc, forever appreciated :). Well today's chapter is somewhat different one-shot, drabble-ish and it's dedicated to x3sploosh who sort of asked for a heartbroken Rima's point of view. So, here you go and I hope you enjoyed it. Let me take you to another Bittersweet Day of Nagihiko and RIma.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Pain - ( _If only you knew..._ )

As long as she lived to see that vibrant, gentle smile of his that could light up the whole entire town if he'd wanted to, at that pinkette whom had been known as her best friend for years; she knew that the pang of pain in her heart would never go away.

The way his fingers intertwined with hers, the way he chuckled warmly at her, the way he spoke, ever so gently at her. It was just... so... very heart-breaking. She hated it. The way he treated her— the teases and everything— it made her wonder, if he'd ever loved her, or even liked her in the first place.

Now, as she trailed behind the loving couple who were very much in love with each other, she couldn't help but giving a bittersweet smile of her own. Hadn't she been the one who'd wanted all of this? She wanted him off her back. Granted. She wanted him to stop trying. Granted. She wanted it all quits. Granted. She wanted him to love her despite everything....

"Rima-chan, you comin'?" His voice, which very much took up the form a peaceful melody, flowed through her ears as the rosette, Amu, finally snapped her head in her direction, slightly perturbed by her other-half's shout out to the blonde.

Feeling slightly perplexed by this, she looked up into the golden topaz eyes of her best friend's, emotions were running through them like a flowing river. All that she had managed to catch was confusion and... Jealousy...?

She turned towards the man with long, ravishing violet hair now, her breath trapped in her throat at the sight of his heart-warming smile. His violet brows were raised about the middle and drawn down to his perfectly chiseled nose with his ochre eyes almost closed while the edges of his lips curled upwards. It only lasted for a split second, then, it was gone. Everything reverted back to how it was supposed to be. He turned towards the pinkette, picking off from where their conversation had ended.

It was as if it had never happened before.

The hard tug of her heart strings reminded her of the painful reality.

She lowered her eyes onto the two happy lovers, advancing on their own and true enough, this time round, he did not turn to look back at her. Somehow she wished that she could have all that, her best friend was experiencing and not this dreaded pain in her heart.

_You'll only know pain, when you face loneliness._

_You'll only know pain, when you face abandonment._

_You'll only know pain... when your love is not reciprocated._

_But the most dreaded thing about pain is that, sometimes, you can never get rid of it._

* * *

**A/N:** **Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. I've been proofreading a lot on this, I just hope you won't find any microscopic mistake I make -crosses fingers- Hmm, I've been real busy lately. The virus which have been spreading through my class has finally caught up with me and I'm finally having the much needed break I deserve, at the same time working on my speech about love -shivers-. Well, the next theme for the next chapter would be the much requested one...**

**Dance**

**Not much info on this, but I'll hope you'll stay tune for the next chapter of a Bittersweet Days. —Deon**


	28. Dance

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**A/N: I would just like to start things off with a sincere thank you to everyone who have reviewed, favorited and alerted, really grateful for them. I'm very sorry I haven't been able to update all that quickly, extremly busy, finally recovered from that blasted illness which kept me wearing thin for the past few days. I'm just extremely thankful the weekends are here, what a life-saver. Well anyway, please sit back and enjoy while your eyes take you back to another Bittersweet Day of Nagihiko and Rima.  
**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Dance — ( As much as you hate me... )

She's hating every moment of it. Hating it so damn much. The dreaded lurch in her stomach, the horrible lump in her throat that refuses to go away and that stupid, cursed tears that is starting to surface out into the open as his teases go on and on like a recurring train with that devious grin of his.

With every second passing by, the urge of stomping on his toes grows more and more till she starts to twitch ever so slightly. The thing about this which she just could not stand, is how his delicate, slender fingers, skillfully wound themselves around her waist without a warning—without her permission— leaving her to gape up at him like a fish, in which he responds with an undecipherable smile, sending warm tingles throughout her body.

She had never once thought that the day she would dance in front of a crowd would come, much less dancing with him.

But the part she found the most desirable, yet so hateable, would be the part when he lowers his head towards her, with his lips gently touching her own, forming a chaste kiss.

And now when she thinks back to that very day, she would wish that he would not have broken the kiss all that quickly.

* * *

**A/N:** **Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. Another drabble again and I'll probably compensate it for a longer chapter rather soon. The next theme will be...**

**Sorry**

**I hope you would stay tune for the next chapter of a Bittersweet Days. —Deon  
**


	29. Sorry

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: Hey all, thanks for the support. Like I've promised, I've updated as soon as I can, I felt real bad for updating with such a short drabble of merely 200 words, and here's a longer drabble. Yes, I know, I know, it has been a long time since I've written a one-shot and I'm sure there's one coming up in the near future, but for now, I think it's going to be drabble fever till I get some inspiration. Well, any who, please sit back and relax, let me take you to another Bittersweet Day of Nagihiko and Rima.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Sorry — ( I tried my best... )

Your words cut me like a sharp knife, cutting through my defenses and getting into my head while your tears run down like a razor blade with the pain stabbing through my heart as I stare into your wavering, honey gold eyes, trying to tell if you actually mean what you've just said, but all I see is just a blank, unreadable mask which kills me even more inside.

Do you really want me to go away? Do you actually hate me this much?

Truthfully, I can't really tell, from the way you act, the way you always react so stubbornly, I have no idea if you're just putting on a front or whether you're serious about it. All I've ever want is you to be happy, but, time after time, you keep pushing be back, further and further into the oblivion.

I'm tired.

You're tired.

I can see it in your golden eyes which I've fallen deep under. The hint of blackness in them, the way they look dull and listless when you talk and the way your smile doesn't reach your eyes like how they used to be, it really calls out to me as clear as a crystal ball that things between us have changed— irreversible.

All I ever done was to help you, never to harm you, but turn out, you've picked the latter instead. You think I have an ulterior motive for my helpful actions towards you, but I've denied countless and countless of times, but you're just too stubborn to accept this fact. Why...? Can't you see how my lips would tremble as I struggle to put on a false front of being cheerful when I'm around you? Can't you tell by how I'd always end up flustered and worried, putting down my calm facade, running in circles just to find you safe and sound?

I've protected you, comforted you in your darkest time and even risked my life for you, yet you still doubt me. If only you could see my heart breaking for you whenever the tears run down your beautiful face... If only you can you see me shaking like a child inside, whenever you're in pain... probably then... you'd understand how I feel for you.

Maybe... maybe... you're right, I'm the one at fault. Maybe if I've just left you alone and let you be, things would have been better and you would have been happier. And for everything I've ever said and done to make you feel upset, I'm sorry. I'm so terribly sorry.

But before I leave and before you say it again— those painful words which strike me hard like a train wreck— I just have to tell you one last thing; three words that I've been meaning to say all this time, but I've failed to say it five times before since you've never given me the chance to say it, and that is,

_'I love you,'_

* * *

**A/N:** **Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. I think I screwed it up for this drabble real bad, so if you guys spot any mistake or criticism, please, please just let me know in a review. Hmm, I realised that this is probably my first time writing in first person point of view. How weird, but I'm sure I've written a few in first person... No? Double weird. Who knows? I might actually write some of the chapters in first person just for the fun of it. Anyway, the theme for the next chapter is...**

**Alone**

**It's another drabble, just to warn y'all and I've no idea when I'd update, so please be patient. I hope you'd stay tune for the next chapter of A Bittersweet Day. — D. S.  
**


	30. Alone

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: K+  
**

**Pairings: Rima X Nagihiko**

**A/N: First off, I'm terribly sorry for not updating for so long, but I've just been really, extremely busy with the tests and everything. Anyways thanks to all the support and reviews, here's the next chapter of Bittersweet Days.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Alone (Hush, child, it's alright )

She sat in the corner of her room with her legs tucked against her chest as she wrapped her arms around them protectively, bowing her head down onto her knees while her salty, wet tears trickled down the corner of her chin. The silence in the room was overbearingly quiet and the only sound was her heart-wrenching sobs and desperate cries which seemed to bounce off the thick walls of her room, seemingly never to escape from the confined room as she let herself sink into the darkness of it, lying waist-deep in her fallen tears.

Taking up the last ounce of courage, she tilted her head up at the mirror which stood, towering before her intimidatingly as she flinched away ever so slightly, squeezing her eyes shut as tears escaped through the corners of them. Even though she just had a mere glance of the reflective glass, she'd managed to pick out the very detail of herself in it. She'd looked horrible. Her golden locks, which she always took time to maintain, was in a mess— all tangled up in a birds' nest. Golden, melichrous eyes looking tired and glazed over like it had never seen the break of light, never seen happiness ever again.

She felt like dying.

The sight of her lone figure in her dark room just made her feel worse with the churn of her stomach, twisting into tight, uncomfortable knots which she just could not seem untangle.

But the worse thing of all; the mirror showed only a mere, fallen figure. Not half, not incomplete. But a full, broken girl with long, flowing golden locks in a dark, empty room.

Why did he have to go?

She'd never wanted to be alone.

Never.

* * *

**A/N: Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. I'm critically running low on themes and such, so please, please, please, feel free to give me some themes for me to do, or it'll most probably be drabbles or angst all the way. Alright the next theme for the next chapter is,**

**Broken Promises**

**Well, thats it for today, I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Bittersweet Days. — D.  
**


	31. Hesitation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**A/N: Hey all, thanks for all the suggestions for themes and everything, I'd really appreciate it and I'll try my best on how to interpret the themes you've all given me. I guess you should have realized by now that I've changed the theme I said I was going to be doing last week. Reason being that I didn't managed to complete it in time due to the many dreaded tests which I've obviously flunked, and it'll most probably be post-phoned. But in the mean time, I came up with a quick theme, and I hope you'll enjoy it. Sit back and relax, let your eyes take you to another chapter of a Bittersweet Day.**

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Hesitation

_(Four times she'd nearly admitted her feelings for him. Only once did she succeed.)_

* * *

_I._

She was so sure that she would never get caught. She'd always made a note to be extra careful with this sort of business, to make sure that no one would catch her doing this— staring at Fujisaki Nagihiko. Come to think of it, it was rather amusing seemingly that both of them were known as 'rivals' and could survive in the same room without breaking a fight or a quarrel. But she just couldn't help herself at times like this, sitting at the council table with too much time on her hands.

All she could do was watch how serious he looked when he did the paper work, the way his violet brows creases as he contemplates the information written on the piece of flimsy paper and how he would flicked his long, velvet hair out of his face when it gets in his way of work. But, the part she liked the most would be how his lips would flicker upwards upon being called upon by the other fellow members of the student council and it would set her in a pit of a daze before she could snap out of it, with a faint, pink blush on her cheeks, getting started with her own paper work again.

If only she could tell him.

* * *

_II._

The day was coming to an end again with the sun painting the whole azure blue sky a beautiful shade of orange; she was taking the typical route home as she passed by the basketball court near her house. At first she didn't quite realized the tall, lean, lone figure in the court and merely walked past it till she saw a flash of dark purple. She did a double take, quirking a brow with a rather amused look.

She sauntered over to the court, settling herself down onto the bench which held his bag pack and dark, high scholar coat. She knew that he didn't quite spot her, yet, since he was still bent on throwing the orange, rubber ball into the hoop consistently as she took her time to admire his form.

Even though he was a dancer, she had to admit that he was a rather good basketballer. She'd never really seen him play before, the first time she'd saw him play would be four years ago and everything four years back seemed fuzzy and bleary in her memory.

The rhythmic bounces of the orange ball came to a sudden halt as she lifted her head up at him, looking slightly perplexed. He whipped her head towards her and caught her eyes for the first time, eyes widening slightly before flashing her a thousand megawatt grin which certainly caught her off guard.

"How long have you been watching?" She pretended to contemplate before deciding to give him a straight-out answer. Rima-style.

"The entire time, Einstein." He chuckled in a deep, resonating tone, causing her stomach to flutter slightly.

"So how did I do?" He prompted, ochre eyes looking earnest and sincere that it sort of melted her heart a little, but she refrained from showing it on her face.

"What do you think?" He chuckled once more in that deep, mellow voice which she found rather soothing as they sat together peacefully in silence. She stole a glance at him and it only quickened her fast-paced heart. She'd always loved watching him covered with that sheen layer of thin sweat, eyes having that slightly wild look which it rarely contained during gym classes. She'd very much wanted to reach out to touch him but stopped herself from doing so.

"Hey, Nagihiko... I..."

"Crap, I've got to run, see you tomorrow, Rima-chan." And he left, leaving her, stunned and speechless as the court, feeling slightly disheartened and crest-fallen.

* * *

_III. _

They were quarrelling again, throwing insults at each other, snide remarks, everything they'd thought of, spewed right out of their lips as the members of the student council suddenly became non-existent. Their quarrels might sometimes even come off, as minor to some, but the student council... they knew it first-hand even though one had a permanent smile on their face while the other party had a stone-cold look.

They've been spouting off, listing every embarrassing moment each other with the anger meter rising with everyone listed out. And for a minute there, she sort of forgot what they'd been arguing about.

"You're an unreasonable little shrimp, you know that?"

"Well, excuse me for being short, but at least I'm not as dense as an acorn!"

"What? Excuse me? Me, dense? How is that even possible?"

Giving one last grumble, she slammed her fist on the table, glaring up at that... insensitive jerk as she half-said, half-screamed, "You can't even tell that I—" she cut herself off from the last few words she was about to say, suddenly aware of the many pairs of eyes boring into the back of her skull and a pair of bright ochre ones.

If only she could say it in front of him and him only.

* * *

_IV._

Well, he'd saved her again, what more could she say? He'd saved her from x-eggs attacks and god knows what more, more than that she could recall. But for some reason, she wanted to do more than saying her 'thanks'. Something to repay him for what he'd done for her over the past few years she'd known him and that maybe, just maybe this would be a perfectly good chance for her to let it all out to him so after the whole x-egg ordeal, she held him back lightly.

"Hey, um, thanks for saving me back there," She mumbled softly, nearly above ear-shot in which he sent her his trademark megawatt smile, chuckling lightly. "I've actually been meaning to tell you this, but..." She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with oxygen, bracing herself for the words she'd been meaning to tell him all this time as she glanced up at his smiling face of his, and all she saw at that point of time was rejection and awkwardness, and that he'll probably avoid her after this.

"It's... never mind," and without a word, shaking her head, she left him standing there looking rather confused.

* * *

V.

Today, was one of those days again. The days when she would run away from home and only return at midnight when she knew that everything had calmed down back home. Her parents were fighting again and with every quarrel and argument they had, the worse it got. They didn't used to quarrel over the tiniest of things, according to her memory. They still argued, but not as much as how it was today.

It probably started out with how her mother remarked over how it was rare of her father to return home this early for dinner, then, it slowly grew into suspicion that he was cheating on her with another woman, and here came all the denials, before long a mere remarked turned into an ugly, full-blown argument and soon they were literally screaming their heads off at one another.

Personally, she still had control till that point, eating her dinner at the dining table silently while her parents traded insults, screams and shouts at one another. It upset her, really, but it didn't upset her as much as when her mother raised her voice for a divorce, and she finally lost it when her father agreed.

So that was practically it for them, and without a word, she left her seat at the dining table, ignoring the harsh prompts and questioning glares from her parents as she made her way out of the house.

And that was how she ended up here. In the place where she usually spent her runaway days and was sure that no one would spot her. The park was probably her safe haven for now— her one and only sanctuary away from the cruel reality she had to face every day. At times like this she would have wished her clown chara was here to cheer her up, but being sixteen and everything, naturally Kusu-Kusu returned to the cradle.

She was feeling bitter. Oh yes, she was feeling bitter and life could never get better.

She was close to tears, she knew it herself, clutching onto the hem of her skirt as she lowered her head onto her feet, refusing to look up into the dark, obsidian sky. The familiar burning sensation was calling out to her once more as she held back her tears, sucking in a deep breath, not a sniffle. She was entirely sure that she would not return home today and would spend the remaining amount of time till dawn, wandering around aimlessly.

"What are you doing here, Rima-chan?"

She jumped slightly, as she snapped her head up at the familiar, smooth, velvety voice, looking startled. She hadn't expected to even meet him here, much less anyone. He had a grocery bag wrapped tightly around his fingers and she knew instantly that he was out doing midnight grocery shopping.

He wasn't entirely smiling like how he would have done so in the day. His ochre-amber eyes were dead serious, staring back into her own golden-amber ones. She could see her reflection in his intense sunset eyes, though it had a sad glint to it. Was he worried for her?

"Nothing..." She turned away from his ochre gaze. The dreaded tears were clouding her vision. How embarrassing.

"Were your parents fighting again...?" He asked in a tiny voice. A voice filled with sympathy, the same bitterness she felt as well as the tinge of compassion she something wished she could indulge herself in. She'd nearly lost herself to the tears then. Nearly. She held her stand strong by biting hard on her lips. Not a single sob or sniffle was ever going to escape her lips nor a single tear. Ever.

She heard ruffling of fabrics, realizing he had sat himself down beside her and before she knew it, he'd slipped his hand into hers. Widening her eyes, with the familiar warmth of embarrassment painting her cheeks bright red, she glanced up at him.

"You're cold, how long have you been out here?" And his fingers left hers as her eyes began to darken, but it was only when he proceeded to take off his jacket, placing it around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, that her eyes regained the usual hopeful sparkle once again.

"I don't know," She wanted to lie to him, but that was the truth. She had no idea how long she had been out in the cold, winter night.

"I'm sorry," She'd really wished he would start teasing her now, to let her forget, the let her drown herself in the playful taunts and remarks, just to get rid of the pain inside.

"Don't be, you have no part in this..." Her voice wavered slightly and she knew that the tears would just overflow her eyes right there and then, just by thinking of how bad the fight got that night.

"Is that why you're keeping yourself in?" And with that simple action, he slung an arm around her shoulder, holding her tightly as he leaned his face against her own. She felt like crying, she really do, but crying would tear down the mental defenses she had painstakingly put up. "Don't, let it all out. You're not alone."

And she did. She'd been yearning to hear that set of words ever since. She'd bawled her eyes out that night, crying tears of sorrow, pain and bitter onto his shoulder as he painfully soaked it all up. She was glad that he didn't say much that night and merely, stroked her hair back fondly like how her mother used to do when she was young.

When the storm had calmed, when the tears had dried and everything was settled down, he got up and so did she. And when they were about to go their own separate routes, she tugged on his sleeves with her head lowered onto the pavement. He looked over his shoulder carelessly.

"Don't you ever leave my side... Please... be there for me..."

In which he'd merely leaned forward, his lips brushing against her forehead, a soft, gentle smile flickered on his lips as they parted to form a simple answer which she'd been hoping for him to say all this time,

_"I will."_

* * *

**A/N:** **Constructive Criticism is welcomed; spot any mistakes? Let me know by dropping a review or PM and I'll see to it immediately. Whoa, it totally like writing five one-shots at ago and it definitely turned out quite fun. I'm sorry with all the angst and everything, but for some particular reason, I just can't write fluff. Probably because I'm still trying to get over the fact that I failed my Science which is a huge disappointment for me. All I can say is, I hate freaking Physics. Anyway, moving on.**

**The next theme will be...**

**Destiny**

**I'm glad that I've a rather rough idea on how I'm going to interpret on it. I hope you'll stay tune for the next chapter of Bittersweet Day. Oh, and on a lighter note, I'm having my one week break from school, so do expect that updates will be more frequent, for the next two weeks or so :D. — Deon. **


	32. Sinking

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ratings: T**

**Pairings: Nagihiko X Rima**

**A/N: Thanks for all the support for all the past previous chapters, really thank you so much, for all your kind words of encouragement, I'll keep it close to heart forever. Alright, I have some good news and some bad news for all of my readers out there. First things first, I think I'll just start with the bad news while I still can. I am leaving fanfictiondotnet. And I've thought it thoroughly; I've just got no time for this and I don't think I have the inspiration to continue this, so I'll be leaving permenently for the sake of everyone.**

**This, lets say will be the last chapter of a Bittersweet Days. I'm quite disappointed that I didn't manage hit my goal of a hundred chapters. So I'll just hope you'll enjoy the last and final chapter of Bittersweet Days. **

* * *

**Bittersweet Days**

_(sweet memories, bitter regret)_

Sinking (Baby, don't let me go)

She's sinking deep in the wavering pools of those heart-wrenching memories of hers and she very well knows it. She's drowning and she's suffocating, yet, she's still trying to keep above the surface of her tears. He's right there above it all, she could see his outstretched hand and his megawatt smile hinting on his lips, but no matter how she struggles to get to him, she utterly fails and sinks deeper beneath them all.

She idly wonders to herself, the pain deep inside of her brewing, that of everyone she knows, why does it have to be him, who shines brighter above them all? The brilliance of him is blinding and sometimes, she can't help but shun away from the glaringly brightness. But no matter how bright he is, she still can't help but feel attracted to him. They are like ice and fire, heaven and earth and light and darkness— Bi-polar opposites attracted to one another without a plausible reason.

However, no matter how strong she seems to be, whenever the going gets tough, she'll fall into the bottomless pits of the oblivion, despite his never-ending comfort and encouragement to stay afloat above the sea of tears and bitter.

But probably because of that cause, she has become dependent and reliant on him and that she knows that no matter how deep she sinks, he'll always be the first to pull her out of it with a serene smile, his deep violet hair flowing in the brisk breeze as he whispers those magic words which never fails to calm both her mind and her soul, the pools of his ochre eyes glittering down at her.

"I will catch you, whenever you fall."

* * *

**A/N:** **And this is the end of A Bittersweet Days, I'm terribly sorry for not pulling through right up till the end, but I've decided that I would at least complete one of my on-going stories before I leave. So, if there's any A Sleepover readers out there, don't be too sad ;) —Deon**

**Credits to those who have stayed with me right up till this very end, and betareader for proofreading the first few chapters of a Bittersweet Days. Thank you everyone for your support for these few months.  
**


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